A Change of Pace
by msh012
Summary: Sakura has been working herself to the bone, sinking into the dullness of routine. The life she lives lacks any spark, and it worries her. But an unexpected person comes into her life. Can he be just what she needs? NejixSakura LEMON later on.
1. Surprise

**A Change of Pace**

**Chapter 1: Surprise**

She had worked a split shift at the Konoha Hospital four days in a row. It had really drained her of her energy. It was an act of God in itself that she still had enough chakra left for herself just to walk to her apartment. Sure, she loved being a medical nin—but the long shifts were making her job feel a little bit too _routine_. She always thought it would be a bit more exciting, and besides the sparring she and the Hokage engaged in, the only action she was getting was chasing squeamish kids through the halls of the hospital when shown a needle. The stories she got to hear behind the injuries her patients received during missions always intrigued her and she would listen wide eyed like a child at the feet of the sage grandfather before bedtime. But stories were just a placebo to her condition. Lack-luster. She felt dull, uninteresting, and frankly a little bit unneeded. Of course Tsunade and the many men and women she cared for would argue with that thought vehemently, but it wasn't enough. It never was. She couldn't remember her last mission.

_Has it been that long? _

Sakura fumbled with her keys as she approached the entrance to her place cursing as she dropped them. "At this rate I'll be an old hag before I turn thirty" she mumbled to herself, ruing the fact that the stress of her job was causing such exhaustion every single night. Even on her days off, all she could manage to do was tidy up her place, cook a little, and sleep. Yawning, she finally and clumsily unlocked the door and dragged herself into the dark abode. She plopped her keys and kunai pouch (which she never used except when practicing with the Godaime) on the little table by the door, turned on the lamp by the table which succeeded in casting a warm ambient light on her sparsely furnished living room, and kicked off her shoes—barely avoiding a nasty trip over her own feet. Cursing again at her clumsy footwork, she headed for the shower.

She glanced at the mirror in the bathroom, and immediately after turning away looked again, but this time long and hard. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her short pink hair was disheveled, and all the color that splays across a normal woman's face was all but gone. _What am I doing? Is this what this job is doing to me? _She ran her fingers through her hair to smooth out the rebellious strands and gently rubbed her fingers under her tired eyes, as though her movements could suddenly erase the discoloration there. _But I love to help people. I really do love my job, but why is it torturing me this way?_  
She shook her head and sighed as she turned her head away from her reflection in disgust and began to disrobe. She pulled the pink uniform over her head with another yawn, and shivered as the cool air caressed the skin of her bare stomach. Her black shorts were next, and she managed to avoid tripping while taking her feet out of the constricting bottoms. She looked down at her figure and relished in the fact that even though she wasn't getting the missions assigned to her as she wished, she still managed to maintain a fit body. _Running after the little rugrats has its advantages._A slight smile, more like a half smirk, drifted across her lips before they contorted into another yawn. She wiped the moisture beads from the corner of her eyes and turned on the hot water. After unwinding the wrappings around her chest and torso and kicking off her undergarments, she tested the water with her hand; sighing in satisfaction she stepped into the shower. She could barely muster the strength to keep her arms up while washing her hair and bending over with her weight on one foot to shave seemed damn near impossible, but the hot water and steam caressing her tired body seemed to lend her enough energy to endure. The rivulets that hugged her every curve and drops of warm, cleansing liquid that fell on her porcelain skin felt so good that she hummed a soft and nearly inaudible moan. With a metallic squeak from the shower knob, she stopped the comforting flow and slid the shower curtain to the side. The rush of cold air in contrast to the steam made her gasp. She quickly reached for a towel and dried the droplets of water from her hair and body. She walked to her bedroom quickly, flicked on a light, rummaged through her chest of drawers, and pulled out a pair of underwear and an oversized t-shirt. After putting the new-found clothing on her now clean body, she plopped herself on her queen sized bed, stared up at the ceiling, and breathed a deep and cleansing sigh. _I'm off for two days. I never get two days off in a row. Maybe Hokage-sama finally recognizes that I am overworked a bit._She smiled a little at the thought of Tsunade giving her a break. _Not likely. _She felt that something was a bit off. _Oh well, I can't complain. I might even be able to do more than sleep all day. _She snickered to herself and looked at her bedside clock. It was after one in the morning. _Damn!_ She rolled her eyes and reluctantly pushed herself off her bed, now warm from her body heat. She hurriedly backtracked through the little apartment and turned off all the lights she had left on in her wake before returning to her now faded heat signature. _Good, there's a little warmth left. _She pulled the covers back and slipped her slender legs under the sheets and rested her damp head on her full pillow. Last thing she remembered was flicking off the lamp, noting that it was fifteen minutes after one, breathing in the lavender scent of her shampoo, and everything faded into slumberous black.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_The annoying noise woke Sakura up like so many mornings before. She groaned and peered at the devil of an alarm clock through slitted eyes. _Four AM? Dammit Sakura, you forgot to turn the alarm off!_ She clumsily reached for the evil contraption and slid the switch to the off position. With a loud clunk she firmly set it back on her bedside table before curling up into a fetal position and attempted to creep back into the comfort of a peaceful slumber that she had been so rudely ripped out of. Finally, with a relaxing sigh, she managed to feel her body fall—sinking deeper into her one-thousand thread count sheets, into another healing sleep.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK _Her body jolted from the intrusive noises from the front of her apartment. Catching her breath from the shock of the noise, she glanced at the clock which read 9:30 AM, then she quickly made her way to the door and opened it. She squinted as the sunlight from the cloudless day slammed against her pupils. She took a moment to adjust to the contrasting difference from the dark of her curtain drawn apartment, to the wide and open sun-filled world outside. After her vision cleared and felt a little more normal, she looked at the long haired, white eyed Jounin standing at her entryway. "Neji, what are you doing here?" She asked with a hand still shielding her still squinting eyes.

Neji, one of the most powerful and skilled ninjas in Konoha stood with his lips slightly parted as he gasped in surprise at the sight at the doorway in front of him. Normally he wasn't surprised by anything as trivial as someone answering their door, but this case was special. He took a moment to take it all in: The disheveled pink locks just barely grazing the tops of her shoulders, the squint of her emerald-green eyes, the peaks of her breasts poking at the too-thin fabric of her oversized t-shirt, the hem of her shirt gently brushing against her porcelain waist, the laced fabric of her bubblegum-pink panties set just on her petite hips, her ivory legs marked with indentations of what looked like wrinkles from her bed-sheets, and her delicate feet with slightly worn pink polish on her toes. He swallowed, hard, as he barely squeaked out a barely audible "S-Sakura".

"Neji, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked still shielding her eyes.

"Before I answer anything," He began, "You should probably go put on some clothes."

He pointed at her, and frowned slightly after just regaining his composure.

Sakura looked down at her scantily clad body, and blushed a pink almost as intense as her hair.

"Ah Hell!" She yelled and with a loud crack, slammed the door in the man's face as she rushed back into her apartment to remedy the situation.

_Was that a smirk on his face? _

She rushed to her bedroom, trying not to trip over anything, and found another pink uniform and pair of black shorts. She quickly hid her breasts away by twisting herself up in her wrappings, pulled on the form fitting shorts, and pulled her pink uniform over her head. Still in a huff from the embarrassment, she quickly assessed herself in the bathroom mirror, smoothed her bed-head hair down and away from her face, and headed back toward the door. With a slight click from the door knob, she opened her apartment once again to find Hyuuga Neji sitting on her step with his back to her.

"Took you long enough" he sighed, not bothering to turn around to look. "Are you at least decent this time?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes I am, you pervert." Sakura retorted.

"Pervert? I'm not the one who opened the door half naked." He quipped in reply turning to face her.

"You could have averted your eyes, Hyuuga! And I wasn't _half naked_! If I was, you'd be having one hell of a nosebleed right about now." She said with a slightly amused tone.

Neji picked up on the half-joking glimmer in her verdant and intense eyes.

He twisted his lips up into a half smile, and breathed a _hmph_ at her comment.

"Why are you here anyway?" She asked with a shift of her weight to one foot, causing her hip to jut out slightly.

"Tsunade-Sama sent me here to get you. She needs to brief us on some goings-on in the Hidden Village of Sound before she sends us out on a mission." He replied.

_A mission? Hidden Village of Sound? Sasuke. That's right. That's where he and Orochimaru had previously been hiding out before they fled to another rock to hide under. I wonder where he is now. God, I hardly ever think about him anymore since I've been so busy with hospital duty. Does that make me a horrible person? Will we ever find him? Will this mission be about bringing him back?_

"Sakura." Neji blurted.

Sakura shook her head as though she were clearing the cob-webs out of her mind.

"Are you sure you got enough sleep? You were lost there for a minute" Neji asked with a concerned look.

"Oh, I'm fine." Sakura said with a half giggle placing a few strands of lavender scented hair behind her right ear with her hand. "I just haven't been on a mission in so long; it sort of took me off guard."

She stepped back a few paces into her apartment and left the door open.

"I need to get a few things together before I go with you. Wait here; feel free to sit in the living room. I won't be long." She called as she headed for her bedroom.

Neji walked into her dimly lit apartment and looked around at the quaint quarters.

Her place was very clean and tidy. He looked to his left and saw a kitchen that looked like a picture straight out of an advertisement in a magazine. It was spotless. No glasses on the counter, no dirty dishes in the sink. It didn't even look used. He looked back toward the bedroom door that Sakura had disappeared behind. He could see the end of her bed, which she now sat on. He watched as the medical-nin began to pull on her boots. He saw how she pointed her feminine foot and her calf muscle flexed as she slid her socked foot into the black leather. He watched as she slowly pulled the pliant material over her pale skin. He could hear the hushed creak of her bed frame as she extended her lithe leg to accommodate the knee high cut of the footwear. He watched as pink tresses licked her knee as she bent forward, distributing her weight to her foot on the floor. He gazed on as she slowly—deliberately pulled the zipper up with long ivory fingers, tightening the hold of the material around the dipping curve of her toned leg. He unconsciously licked his lips. He watched with half lidded eyes as she lifted her head again, the locks of hair fluttering in response to her movement. The bed frame creaked slowly as she transferred her weight to her other side, preparing to repeat the motions with her other boot. He watched carefully as her hands moved with fluidity, making such a mundane task as putting on shoes seem to be a dance. Neji swallowed, now fully aware that he was gawking, and quickly moved his attention to something else before she caught him looking into her bedroom.

She got up from her pink and red blanketed bed, and began walking toward the living room where Neji stood. She could see the sillhouetted figure of the shinobi in front of her. He was a prestigious one. His long hair half tied in the back, and his flowing garments only enhanced the effect. She gazed at him for a moment, noting the slight parting of his lips, and the endless depth of his silvery white eyes.

"What are you staring at?" Neji prodded.

"I could've asked the same question a minute ago" she replied with a smirk.

_She noticed. She really is Tsunade's prodigy._

"Ah, about that..." he bagan.

She interrupted him with a laugh.

He marvelled inwardlay as she threw her head back and tossed her hair behind her in a wide opened laugh.

"What's so funny?" He asked, starting to sound a little irritated.

Sakura studied him for a moment. "It isn't a big deal. I was just putting on some shoes. It's not like you were thinking _dirty _thoughts." She giggled and closed her eyes to form upward arcs in a genuine smile.

_I really wasn't thinking anything. Right._

Neji shook his head. "Can we get going?" He changed the subject. "We really don't want to keep her waiting. You're her apprentice. You know more than anyone what she's like when she has to wait."

Neji began walking out of the door. Sakura stopped at the door and picked up her kunai pouch and keys she had left at the door, and tried not to trip over her work shoes again. She glanced around her home once again to make sure all was well, and closed the door behind her and locked it with a 'click'.

"Ok. Let's go." Sakura sighed. Not a sigh of fatigue or duty; it was a sigh of anticipation.

She was excited.

For the first time in a _very_ long time.

She always loved surprises.


	2. Mission

**I know that I didn't put this information on the first chapter, but I will on this one. I don't own Naruto. There is some adult themes in this chapter, but nothing heavy. Enjoy! ******

**A Change of Pace**

**Chapter 2: Mission!**

Sakura walked a few paces behind Neji, letting her mind wander as her eyes were entranced by his long, chocolate tresses being teased by the breeze. She watched as his strong and upright form walked forward, with an air of dignity that no other nin she knew carried.

_When did he become so—manly? _

She remembered hearing of the missions he had been on. They never failed. Well, almost never. She remembered the mission that he had been sent on with a few of her other comrades, including the annoying but strong Naruto. Their orders were to bring Sasuke back from the Sound ninjas that had sealed him away in a chakra imbued container and kidnapped him. She remembered the wounds Neji received from that disgusting arachnid-like ninja. He was in so much pain, and nearly out of chakra, but he still managed to defeat his enemy—and he was only a Gennin.

_That's right. That's the real reason I wanted to be a medical nin; for times like that, being able to save a life._

She thought back to that day. The normally stoic face of Hyuuga Neji, was twisted in pain. The bloodline limit whiteness of his eyes were hidden behind squinted lids and darkened by the shadow of slow, creeping death. His face and clothes were spattered with a mixture of his and his enemy's blood, now dried and crusted. She couldn't help but notice in all his agony and soiled visage, he was still beautiful. She always thought he was. Even then, despite a gaping wound inches away from his vitals, the contortions of his face, the low howls and moans seeping from his clenched teeth, the way his dirt stained hands clawed at the stretcher he was carried on, the smell of death seeping from his pores, and the agony hidden behind tear filled eyes; he was captivating.

Since that day he has steadily become stronger. So strong that he became Jounin rank, completely skipping the normally prerequisite Chounin rank, at the age of 18. Only one year older than the medical nin Haruno Sakura, Tsunade-Sama's apprentice and prodigy; walking directly behind him—preparing to go on a mission with him, for the first time as a stronger kunoichi.

_Maybe in a year I'll be as accomplished. Tsk. Yeah right. _

She uttered a low sigh at the thought of graduating to Jounin rank.

Neji could feel Sakura's eyes on the back of him. With his bloodline limit he could actually _watch_ her looking from behind if he wanted to, but he didn't want to waste precious chakra on curiosity. But it was oh so tempting to spy on her like that. Besides, she was familiar with his Byakugan, and understood how it worked—for the most part, and he didn't want to risk her sensing a change in chakra use. It was enough that he could feel her eyes wandering along his form. It sent little tingles through his fingers. He balled his fists to try to shake the feeling.

_Why now? Of all times, why am I feeling weird around her? _

He couldn't shake the vision of her when she first opened the door this morning. The thought of her goddess like form beneath that paper-thin shirt caused a twitch in his lower abdomen and an electric current snaked its way up his spine. He dug his fingers deeper into his palm, clenching his fist tighter, leaving little half-moon indentations in his calloused palm.

_Get a grip Hyuuga. _

He sighed slow and low, closing his eyes momentarily and opening them again with regained composure.

They were finally approaching the Hokage Building.

Sakura watched as Neji looked lost in thought. She saw as his hands balled into fists, and watched as his chest and back heaved with a giant sigh.

She wanted to close the distance between them and see if he was alright, but she knew it would be futile. With his stoic face, he would probably look back at her with a straight lined mouth and she would lose herself in his pearled gaze, while he would remain unaffected. Those eyes were so hypnotic. Even without using his limit ability, he could deflate any woman with those half lidded eyes, and slightly furrowed brow. The intensity of his emotionless gaze would definitely disarm her if she didn't know any better. Good thing she isn't brought to mush so easily.

_The hell with it. _

She quickened her pace to close the distance between her and Neji's back. She slowly reached her hand out towards his shoulder and extended her long fingers to gently touch him. His hair, like silk strands tossed in the gentle breeze, lapped at her extended hand as she let it hover over his back. She paused, letting the tingling sensations run from her fingers down her forearm and up her shoulder. She felt a warmth spread through her belly as a shiver shook her core in a tiny tremor.

_What the hell? _

Her eyes widened and she withdrew her hand, at the same moment her comrade spoke up with a slight turn of his head towards her position.

"We should pick up the pace. We're almost there." He said without inflection in his voice or expression on his face. Just that same intense "Neji" look.

_What happened to the smirk I saw this morning? Or was that just another variation of the classic Neji indifference? _

She quickened the pace a bit and shook the thoughts out of her head.

Neji quickened the pace again as well, not really wanting the pink haired kunoichi to catch up at the moment. He could feel her hand reaching for him a minute ago, and part of him wanted to let her rest it on his back, out of curiosity. But the fear of the unknown, of what might happen if he allowed it to happen, gripped him tighter than mere curiosity. He really didn't want to find out what her touch was capable of doing to him if just the thought of her caused such a riot in his body.

They were now at the steps of the Hokage Building. Both sighed simultaneously as they began their trek up the steps to The Hokage's Room.

Knock. Knock.

"Enter" came an authoritative feminine voice from the other side of the door.

Neji pushed the door open and he and Sakura stood a body's width apart, side by side in front of Tsunade-sama's desk, waiting for her next words.

"Shizune!" The blonde, buxom bombshell yelled to her assistant, slamming her hands on her desk, "Close the door. We don't have all day!"

"Yes, Hokage-Sama" Shizune, the dark haired woman always seen by Tsunade-sama's side, hurriedly shut the door and stood outside.

Sakura could smell the tell-tale smell of sake in the room. The Hokage had been drinking again. The kunoichi sighed.

"I'm sorry to have to take you away from your holiday, Sakura, but this is of the utmost importance, and all the other medical-nins are on missions with other teams." She explained.

"What's going on, Tsunade-Sama?" Sakura asked, relaxing a little.

She sat back in her chair, and rested her elbows on the desk. She pursed her lips together and took a moment before answering.

"It seems that Kabuto, Orochimaru's assistant, is on the move on his own accord. ANBU spies in the Hidden Villiage of Sound have been stationed in strategic locations throughout that area, and they have seen him on multiple occasions moving on his own. They saw him last heading east toward the merchant town of Minohana, just outside the Hidden Villiage of Cloud. I have a feeling that there has been some kind of treason in Orochimaru's circle, and I want to know what happened, and what the slippery Kabuto is up to. I'm sure it's no good." She continued, "Sakura, first and foremost, you have healing abilities, but you also have had exposure to Orochimaru and Kabuto, and should you run into your former teammate you're the most likely to escape because you're levelheaded. And you," she pointed at Neji, "Hyuuga Neji, you are to be the leader. You let anything happen to my apprentice, and I will personally see to it that you fear a different destiny that I will have mapped out for your little Hyuuga ass! You need to disguise yourselves. I have already made preparations for your disguises. Shizune will show you." She instructed. "Now here is the part that you aren't going to like. I don't want to hear any complaining from either of you. Minohana is a popular vacation town, and why Kabuto is headed toward a couple's oriented town I want to find out." She explained, eyeing the pair standing in front of her—carefully watching their movements. "You and Sakura are going to have to act like a couple on vacation. Now I don't need you guys to act awkward and blow your cover, so you better get used to the idea!" She saw both the shinobi and the kunoichi slightly shift their positions nervously as they shot each other odd glances. "That is the exact kind of behavior I'm talking about." She slammed her hands on the desk again. "Get used to it. There isn't anyone else qualified for this mission. I'm sorry if it's awkward. That is all. Shizune is waiting for you. I have instructed her to have you prepared in the next few hours. You must leave before sundown." She waved her hand toward the door. "Shizune!" she yelled. She turned her chair around and gazed out of the window that overlooked the five Hokage's memorial.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shizune opened the door, and ushered the new couple out into the corridor and closed the door behind them.

"Please follow me" she led them into another room a few yards down. Inside were many costumes and wigs and props.

"What is all this?" Sakura asked touching one of the chocolate brown wigs to her right unconsciously swirling the tendrils around her index finger.

"This is a reserve room for all the undercover operations that many ANBU and Shinobi not unlike yourself have had to execute through the years." Shizune explained. "I need to make you the genuine thing. So you really don't have much choice in the matter of what you wear and how you look. So let me tell you now. No complaining." She said looking at both pairs of eyes intensely before continuing.

Neji had a severely annoyed look on his face. It almost looked like he was nervous.

"Are you chickening out, Hyuuga?" Sakura poked.

That was it. Neji had enough of his emotions around Sakura being a thorn in his side. He decided to play a little.

"Not a chance, baby" he said lightening his countenance and looking deep into Sakura's deep green eyes.

He moved close to her and gently ran his hand down her arm. He began at her shoulder and slowly let his hand glide over her soft skin before resting his hand on her forearm and tightening his grip.

She gasped, wide eyed.

He pulled her close to him and rested his face in her lavender scented mop. He inhaled deeply and smiled into her scalp, and let out a chuckle.

"Ah, baby you smell so good." He said slow and deep, drawing out the word "baby".

The vibrations from his voice made her scalp tingle and sent tiny lightning bolts down the sides of her head, slithering down her neck, skipping through her chest, and coiling tightly in her abdomen gathering heat there.

"Ok that's enough, _sugar_!" she emphasized the sarcasm in that last word, and giggled nervously.

She still felt the electricity surging through each cell of her body. She could still feel the heat from Neji's breath against her head, and she felt the heat from his body begin to soak through his garment's into hers and scorching her skin. Her hair rippled on the back of her neck as he slowly let go of her arm, letting his fingers drag light caresses down her wrist and the back of her hand. He looked at her lips and back to her eyes, and winked.

"Don't ever call me chicken." He said as the intense expression he normally wore crept back to his face.

"Ok that's enough." Shizune frowned at them. "The mission hasn't officially started yet, so you can jump down each other's throats later." Shizune giggled at the double entendre that they obviously ignored.

Sakura just stared at the shinobi in front of her, that she thought she knew. Sure she hadn't had many missions with him, and she really didn't like hanging around his team because of that disturbingly energetic green beast, Lee. Ok so she didn't really know him well at all. He always _seemed_ so uninterested in anything except missions and destiny. How did he learn how to tease? She was definitely shocked. But she was also pleased. This mission might end up being fun.

_Fun_.

That's a word that hasn't been a part of Sakura's vocabulary for a very long time.

Her body starting relaxing again after that little tease-fest Neji seemed to enjoy raining down on her a little too effortlessly.

_He's going to have fun too. He just won't admit it._

She smiled up at him, his face still turned away from hers expressionless.

She would make sure he would have fun.

_Mission within a mission: Opereation break Neji's stone façade. Team of one; Haruno Sakura. Expected success rate: 100% _

Sakura giggled to herself.

"Is something funny?" Shizune asked, rummaging around in one of the many shelves in the dusty room.

"Oh no, nothing really." Sakura stated regaining her composure.

_Hyuuga Neji, look out. Haruno Sakura is going to break you. And you're going to enjoy it._

It's been a while since Sakura has had a mission, and she felt like she had just been given wings.

She had a mission.

She had two. Only one was known to her alone. And she smiled, and her heart fluttered in sheer excitement.

Shizune broke the tension and silence that had filled the room with a loud 'bang' as she pulled two suitcases from a shelf and let them drop on the floor at once.

She opened both leather suitcases, and checked the contents stuffed neatly inside.

"They were already packed?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. We have your measurements. So your clothing has been altered to fit you already." She answered.

"You have our measurements?" Sakure inquired.

"Yes. She has your and my measurements. You of all people should know how, especially with every six month check up, measurements are taken each time at Konoha Hospital." Neji chimed in, still expressionless.

Sakura sighed. He had a valid point. She had forgotten about all her routines she was stuck with at the hospital, only the night before. It seemed that when she was here, with Neji, all her mediocrity melted away.

She smiled up at him.

His eyes lingered on her pink lips twisted up into a smile.

Sakura noticed, and playfully bit her bottom lip.

She also noticed how his lips that were drawn in a straight line, parted slightly at the sight of her feigned vulnerability.

He knew she was teasing him. But it was still sexy. He admitted it to himself.

His eyes drifted up from her moist lips to her eyes that were looking off to the side at nothing in-particular.

_She is definitely paying me back. She is quite the tease. She is going to pay for it. I will make it my mission to see to it that she pays in full. Operation Dominate the vixen Haruno Sakura. She's going to fall into my trap, and enjoy every minute of it._

For the first time in his life, he felt like he might have a little fun.

_Fun._

Hyuuga Neji was about to discover what the word meant. He was about to completely devote himself to this mission, to both missions—one of which only he was aware of—until he was satisfied.

He twisted his mouth up in a sly grin that Sakura failed to notice.

_This is going to be a wild ride. Thank you, Hokage-Sama._

_**Ok so this is the end of chapter 2. I know that the plot is a little predictable, but it'll end up being really good (I hope). Please read and comment **__****_


	3. Seduction

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. **

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME ADULT CONTENT BUT NOTHING HEAVY. **

**A CHANGE OF PACE**

**CHAPTER 3: SEDUCTION**

The trek to the main gate of Konoha was a very interesting one for Neji and Sakura. First off, neither Neji nor Sakura were allowed to wear anything ninja related. That included wrappings, kunai pouches, and obviously forehead protectors. Second; Tsunade hadn't told them that Minohana was a villiage influenced by western culture. They learned of that little tid-bit of information from Shizune _after_ they had been shown the western wardrobe they were to wear. Sakura's suit case was packed with short dresses and long ball gowns and shoes called _Stilettos. _It was amazing how Shizune had fit it all into one suitcase. When Sakura asked how to keep the dresses from being wrinkled from being stuffed so tight, Shizune shot her a wicked look and explained the place they are headed for will have services available to take care of such trifling matters. In Neji's bag were Denim jeans, and dress slacks and boots and silk shirts, a suit coat and tie. He wrinkled his nose at the thought of having to wear such odd robes. Shizune even went through the trouble of getting professional prosthetics for his forehead to cover up the Branch Family Mark. He felt like there was mud plastered to his forehead, but one look in the mirror made him a believer in Shizune's skills. Sakura was handed a pouch of important papers that included Identification, a fake marriage license, and some currency that was befitting the new world they were about to step into. She also gave Neji a gold band to wear around his ring finger, and Sakura a beautiful gold band set with a single diamond. It looked so beautiful on her porcelain finger. A horse drawn carriage with an ANBU member dressed in similar garb driving it would be waiting at the gate, and reservations were already made for a hotel called the _Swan's Nest. _ With all the preparations in effect, and the new couple properly de-briefed and dressed for the occasion, Shizune ushered them out of the Hokage Building and watched as they clumsily found their footing in their awkward footwear. She noted to herself how cute of a couple they really made. A little squeal escaped her lips as she watched them head toward the gate of Konoha, and smiled as they started to disappear.

Neji was very, very uncomfortable. On the way out of the Leaf Villiage's square, every woman that he passed nearly toppled over, gawking at him in his odd clothing. Some just dropped what they were carrying and nearly went orgasmic just watching him walk. It felt very awkward and foreign to him. He had never had anyone give him this much attention. It was starting to unnerve him, and he mournfully looked back toward the Hokage Building; however, the one person he wanted to give him attention was walking directly behind him, again. This seemed to be an ongoing trend. Why did she always get the good view?  
Still, he smiled knowingly. He could feel her eyes again. This time the discomfort he had felt the last time was replaced by amusement, and he placed a little more effort into the way he walked. He couldn't lie; he felt a little odd trying to put a little sex appeal in his steps, but the way the women around him responded told him he was doing _something_ right.

Sakura fell behind a little ways, admiring her _Konoha issued _man from behind. He had never seen him in denim before. She was so used to seeing him in the shinobi version of the Hyuuga clan men's kimono.  
His legs were so slender and fit. She watched his back end intently as he took each step. Left, right, left, right. The rhythm of his hips and thighs mesmerized her. They rocked her into a daze and she couldn't rip her eyes away. The dark blue fabric clung tight to his legs and ended with what Shizune called a _trendy_ crumble around his leather leisure boots. Since when were his legs this sexy? She finally forced her eyes to drift upwards toward his lean back. The red silk shirt he was wearing moved—no, glided—over his toned body she imagined was underneath. The sun shimmered off the slick fabric and the protrusions made from his shoulder blades cast small shadows showing the form of his sinewy torso. He still held that prestigious air about him; that confident, cocky attitude that no change in wardrobe could do away with. Still that posture, whatever posture he would call it, caused him to walk with a sexy hitch in his step, and she was thoroughly enjoying the view. She couldn't lie. Her body didn't lie, and it was telling her that she was _really, really_ enjoying it.

Neji could almost feel the smoldering heat from her eyes roaming over every angle of his body. It was time for a change in scenery. He smirked to himself, he knew exactly what to do. Abruptly he ceased his long strides and bent down to pretend to adjust his shoes. He bent his head to his right and looked around his own hip directly at the young woman staring at his back end now jutting out due to the posture he had just adopted. He caught her emerald eyes with his silver gaze. She blushed a bright pink and looked down at her black and white dress. The color that washed across her cheeks was very attractive. He caught himself staring at her rosy complexion, awed at how, in just one moment, she could go from assertive kunoichi to being caught in a moment of blushing vulnerability. He couldn't help but smile. She saw it. She saw the smile splay across his face. He knew she did. Her expression gave her away. She peered into his smiling eyes still peeking around his backside, and she parted her lips and sucked in a little gasp and blushed to a new hue of pink. Bright and deep pools of green shimmered in his direction, and she lifted her head with regained confidence and smiled a tiny, almost undetectable smile, casting an electric current in his direction. This of course took him by surprise and his grin disappeared to transform into a look of bewilderment as he gazed upon this little chameleon standing behind him. She truly had become quite a woman, being able to grip a man's heart in her hands and guide it in any direction just by slight nuances in her posture and expressions. He had been caught in her web.

_What is she doing to me? All my defenses are down. She could take me at any moment and kill me if she wanted. How did I end up in her hand so easily?_

He stood up and turned around to face the blushing cherry blossom looking up into his silvery pools. He could've stayed there for hours just losing himself into the depths of her eyes. _When did I become so weak? _His untied hair fell in his face and he tucked the chocolate strands behind his ear.

Sakura's gaze danced across his face, drinking in every little variation of his countenance. She stared into his glistening white eyes and watched as he moved rebellious strands of deep hued hair away from his face. The way his hands gently caressed his own ear and jawline as he withdrew his hand sent her into a whirl. She didn't understand how she could begin the day so confident and be reduced to a crumbling ivory pillar, struggling to bear her own weight, by a simple smile from an otherwise expressionless man. Where did he find that secret weapon? She could die in his smile alone. _Why am I so weak?_

"We should get going. We'll miss the carriage and I'm sure you don't want to walk the whole way." Neji spoke up reluctantly. "You look a little shaken up, are you alright?" he asked with a slight cock of his head. His feathered fine hair flicked at his shoulders and jawline at the minute movement.

Sakura nodded, sheepishly, and began to move forward. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I am just tired. That's all" she explained, nervously tucking a tight curl, that fell from the gathering on top of her head, behind her ear. She brushed past Neji, letting her creamy arm just glance over his silk sleeved arm, sending shivers down her spine and her breath caught in her throat. _Really, when did this happen? _

Neji followed her hand as she moved her pink curl behind her hair, still maintaining the appearance of genuine vulnerability. She began to move, her flowing knee length dress moving, with every step, across her thighs and hips like a lazy river caresses the banks and rocks, flowing over each curve with sensual fluidity. His heart fluttered in his chest, stealing his breath from him for a split second, and a shot of electric fire shot down his spine the moment her arm made contact with his. He could feel her retreating warmth as she continued past him. He continued craning his neck as she continued on, fabric flowing around every curve as she moved. The white laces up either side of her dress accentuated her hourglass figure, and the pendulum sway of her hips hypnotized him. It took all of his strength to put one foot in front of the other as he painstakingly followed the cherry blossom goddess floating ahead of him. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. _ He was second guessing his desire to be behind, in the trance he was in, it was a miracle he could move; much less walk. He watched as the pink curls bunched at her summit, like a crown of blossoms atop Aphrodite's head , bounced with every step. A few strands were left out and they rebelliously caressed the base of her neck and tops of her bare shoulders. Her long lithe back, bare down to the base of her spine, arched slightly with every shift of her weight, causing the fabric that settled softly above her tight and ample rear to slide back and forth.

_Oh God. Why am I being punished like this? What have I been reduced to? _

He continued watching as her milky smooth legs, each like curved pillars of ivory, moved one in front of the other, the backs of her knees screaming to be caressed, and the hem of her dress answering the call.

Suddenly she stopped and looked over her porcelain shoulder at her captive behind her. She blushed as she caught his gaze drifting lower down her body and back up again to meet her waiting gaze.

What she was about to witness, nearly sent her into the firmament with throes of bewilderment, and completely caught her by surprise.

Neji blushed.

His silver white eyes darted to the right and the rose color danced across his cheeks.

He could feel the heat in his face. He couldn't believe that such a sensation existed. He had never in his life felt like this before, and Haruno Sakura had reduced him to a mere man in a matter of hours. From this morning to now, his life had no meaning anymore. All that existed was the pink haired kunoichi turned cherry blossom goddess just out of reach. His heart nearly burst within his chest. _Will I ever be the same again? Has she stolen everything I am, everything I hoped to be? _

He held his face in his hands as he couldn't fathom the reasons or the possibilities for reasons behind the madness that had tumbled him like a rockslide out of his fabricated _destiny_ and into her.

He was helpless from here on out. All that existed now is the mission. And that mission involved her safety, and with his new found confusion, he would devote his life to fulfilling her wishes. He couldn't explain his sudden change. He was frankly irritated at the fact he could switch so carelessly like a leaf in the wind. But if he is the leaf, and her caresses would be the wind, he was willing to dive into death's grip itself just to be moved again. _This is madness. This is insane!_

Sakura watched as many thoughts and emotions washed across Neji's face in a matter of moments. So many questions darted behind his searching eyes, and his lips trembled behind inquisitive gasps and sighs. She observed from her shoulder, like an angel perched on the highest mountain gazing down at the maddened world in awe. She couldn't begin to understand what he was thinking or feeling, but she could maybe guess by the way she felt. She saw him as a pillar of strength, and her demise. If she was Isolde, he was her Tristan. He was her day and her night. He had, by destiny or fate—no other explanation would suffice—walked to her apartment in the morning and completely turned her world upside down and inside out just by breathing; by existing. She was falling. She was falling off an infinitely steep precipice. The bottom cannot be seen, and falling is the most frightening thing in the world; the stupidest thing in the world she could do, but she was already past the point of regaining balance. All it would take to push her over the edge; cast her past the point of no return—would be a single sigh, a single caress from his calloused and prestigious hands, a single word whispered over the curve of her ear, a single gaze from his Hyuuga pools of unadulterated heat. Just one single motion could break all that she is and hopes to be; and there was nothing she could do about it—no there was nothing she _wanted _to do about it. Part of her craved this recklessness, a part of her that had laid dormant all her life. She had always needed order, and perfection. She only demanded that of herself, and she excelled in all her studies, but fell behind in the battlefield. She lacked the recklessness of instinct, of friendship, and even of love. She learned strength from Tsunade, and compassion from working around the sick all the time. She was now about to dive into the lesson of a lifetime. She was going to learn the recklessness of two lives colliding and crumbling around each other until the dust of one is indistinguishable from the other, and the wind carries both together on wisps of uncertainty.

_Recklessness_.

She was about to be reckless. And she had no clue how she would recover from this mission. All she was certain of at this point was that it was going to be one hell of a fall.

She turned again to walk toward the gates of Konoha. She could hear the shuffle of Neji's feet behind her as he followed, stride for stride, behind her like a shadow; silent and hovering.

They walked like this the rest of the way, out of the gates, and up to the horse and carriage waiting for them there. Sakura's heated shadow nestled up closer to her, so she could feel her curls move under his breath. He placed a hand on either side of her waist, and let them ever-so-softly slide down to her hips. She felt the blood in her head shoot to her heart, only to be kicked back to her head dizzily and a low sigh escaped her lips. He squeezed her with his strong hands and lifted her small frame clear off the ground and set her on the step of the carriage. Dazed, she entered the domed housing of red silk and white sashes. She watched through half closed eyes as Neji lifted himself into the carriage after her. She watched as the silk of his shirt swept over his chest and his hair danced around his neck bent low to accommodate the low clearance. He sat across from her and immediately caught her slitted gaze.

_Mission within a mission: Opereation break Neji's stone façade, huh? That's gone to shit now. _

She looked back into his bottomless eyes, which were half closed in studying her face. _There isn't a façade to break anymore. Now It's just Neji. Hyuuga Neji, where the hell did you come from? Who have I known for these few years? You are truly a mystery._

Sakura let her eyes drift down to Neji's parted lips, watching as they nearly undetectably twitched involuntarily as he continued to lose himself in her face.

Neji greedily soaked in the beauty before him. He let his eyes roam over every curve and dip of her visage. He gently caressed her face with his gaze, almost feeling her essence within himself as he slowly glided over her milky brow, then down her petite nose. He traced over her temples and slighted across her thick lashes. He felt like a painter with his paintbrush, feeling the beauty pour out of him onto the canvas, but instead of creating beauty; he was experiencing it.

_Operation Dominate the vixen Haruno Sakura. What was I thinking? This is no vixen to trifle with. She is a perfect goddess that only an idiot would attempt to "dominate". I am an idiot. _

At the same moment; one of those moments where all in heaven—those dead and those not yet born— cease in all their business and look upon one insignificant horse drawn carriage in the middle of nowhere special containing two non-ransom worthy people, and hold their collective breath as resolve is broken and recklessness is born; something took root deep inside both Neji and Sakura, and silently began to tether the two together with a single, fragile red thread. At that same moment, lost in one-another's gaze, personal vendettas died and desire was born. A tiny flame in the pit of their stomachs, kindled by the other's voice, their gaze, their movements, their breath, their touch, their existence; began to burn brighter. Each of them knew this flame would keep growing and eventually consume them completely.

Caution thrown into the wind, locked in one-another's gaze, Neji and Sakura made their way through the forest in the setting rays of the sun; destined for Minohana and for much, much more.


	4. Inferno

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME SEXUAL SITUATIONS, LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE.**

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED :)**

**A CHANGE OF PACE**

**CHAPTER 4: INFERNO**

Halfway to Minohana, the driver opened the little window to the passenger cab and explained to the silent and tense cargo the impending need to stop and camp for the night. Neji and Sakura, still in a daze from their brand-new emotions, nodded with a glance from their peripheral toward the driver in acknowledgement. After all they had been riding for over four hours, and they started late.

The disguised ANBU driver opened the door to the cab and pulled down the small step. Neji was first to descend through the small opening, and once feet were planted on solid ground; he lifted his hand, beckoning Sakura to join him back on earth. She poked a curled and tired head out the opening and reached for his hand. The warmth of his palm felt strangely comforting to Sakura as she placed her weight into her hand and into his. A slight smile brushed across her face only to fade once she noticed the hand holding hers lingered more than was needed, and the blood rushed to her cheeks yet again. Maybe this was blush number twenty, she had lost count. She looked down at her fancy clothes, and looked over at Neji still wriggling in his clothes from the ever-present discomfort he felt in them. _Why are we wearing these clothes if we are only going to ruin them by sleeping on the ground? Didn't Shizune know we wouldn't make it to town on the first day? _Sakura wrinkled her nose as she looked at the clearing that was to be their campsite, and back down at her dress (which she was falling in love with more and more as the minutes ticked by). Neji seemed to have caught her grimace and inquired politely about her present well being. Sakura shook her head knowingly, leaving Neji content enough to drop it, although his face still held the signs of a little concern. She still couldn't seem to get used to his _non_ stoic expressions.

The driver made his way to the back of the carriage and pulled out two cylindrical lumps of cloth wrapped in twine. Sakura watched as he, with blinding speed, unwrapped each of them and laid them out in the clearing; revealing the fact that they were tents. Neji quickly went to his side to offer assistance. The ANBU shook his head and smiled, and said something to the effect that it was the Hokage's orders not to let him or Sakura get involved with his job. Neji just shrugged and sauntered over to Sakura's side to watch as the man made short work of setting up camp. Sakura enjoyed just standing next to the Jounin in the dark with only lamp light splashing across her face, the busy-body across the way, and the two tents.

_Wait. Two tents. Surely Neji and the Driver will be tenting together._

Sakura was a bit unsure about the situation. Just to be safe she walked over to the ANBU.

"Excuse me, driver sir" she began, "How many camping futons do we have for tonight?"

The man in front of her, in a brown suit and glasses, shot a quick glance at her as if he was surprised by her intrusion.

"Please, ma'am, call me Ginra." He responded politely with a polite nod and smile-filled arch of his eyelids. "To answer your question, there are two futons, one for each tent." He smiled again politely and went back to work.

Sakura gasped wide eyed, and slowly walked back toward Neji, avoiding eye contact. A heated blush filled her cheeks and she was grateful for the dim light of the lamps on the carriage not revealing her color. She knew what this entailed, but maybe Neji could sleep with Ginra. It would be the proper thing to do in this situation anyway.

Ginra finally finished with the preparations. The tents weren't a five star setup, but they looked comfortable enough. They were set on either side of the clearing and a stack of kindling and small logs were set in the middle; obviously items Ginra had picked up around the clearing while he was working on the tents. He looked at the couple still standing by the carriage, and waved his hand in a 'come here' manner.

"We will sleep here until sun-up. So you should get as much sleep as you can. We won't stop again until we reach Minohana." He explained as he headed for the carriage. He began to unhook the horse and tie it off at a small tree. He patted the beast on the neck, and whispered reassuring words to the horse. He was about to form hand seals to perform a concealing jutsu when he suddenly stopped and shot a look at Neji. Sakura felt Neji tense, and look in the same direction as Ginra. Neji placed a finger to his lips in a silent "shhh", and laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder as he walked toward Ginra.

_What's going on? _Sakura wondered to herself, watching the man Hyuuga walk away, slowly. Then she felt it. It was faint, but a chakra signature was present in the wooded area to the right of the clearing. She whipped her gaze in that direction, but she couldn't see anything. She instinctively reached behind to feel for her kunai pouch, but it wasn't there. All she felt was a handful of silky fabric and bare flesh. "Dammit" she muttered.

Neji, concentrating on the chakra signature, finally reached Ginra.

"Do you feel that?" Ginra asked, still comforting the horse at his side. "I can't tell if it's threatening, but I feel we are being watched." He motioned his head toward the right, where the signature was slowly getting stronger. Neji nodded, and jerked his head toward the left as another signature, more faint than the first, made an appearance. "Another one. Ginra, can you follow my lead?" Neji asked, as he was obviously formulating a plan. Ginra nodded and knowingly added, "There's a small door on the side of the carriage hiding small weapons, if it comes to that," and watched Neji as he made his way back toward Sakura.

Sakura watched as Neji and Ginra talked, briefly, and Neji made his way back toward her direction. Neji scooped his hand through the air beckoning her to meet him halfway. She made her way towards him and he grabbed her shoulders firmly and pushed her against the side of carriage. Sakura gasped and stiffened as she felt Neji press himself against her and nestle his face between her neck and shoulder. She could feel his hot breath against her skin, and she shivered and placed her hand against his chest in preparation of pushing him away.

"We're being watched right now," Neji whispered against her neck, "It wouldn't be wise to be shy right now." Sakura looked to her left, where Ginra was back to brushing the horse and talking to it, calmly. She realized that this was a clever act, to make it look like they didn't recognize the threat in the area. Her mind completely emptied of any coherent thought as Neji placed his hand on her waist and pressed his face deeper into her neck. "I don't know if they are threatening or not…" Neji began. He placed his other hand against the carriage and his right leg between Sakuras, moving her knees further apart. Sakura arched into his hot breath. "But Ginra and I detected chakra signatures in the trees around us." He continued, moving his head to the other side of her neck. She could feel his hair sliding across her bare shoulders and the upper curve of her breasts. "You have to loosen up Sakura, " He breathed hotly again, "We don't know if they are spies for Kabuto, and frankly we can't blow our cover." He set his lips against her boiling skin. Sakura gasped and arched her back again, feeling her inner thigh move against his knee. "Byakugan" Neji whispered, lips barely brushing against Sakura's neck, thus activating his Bloodline Limit. Sakura could feel the shift in his chakra, as all his energy was being poured into his eyes. Sakura placed her hands on his hips and drew him closer to her, feeling his leg press harder against her. "That's good" Neji whispered. He moved the hand occupying her waist down to her thigh and brought her leg up against his as he pressed his hip against hers. Sakura's breathing became quicker. She felt her pulse quickening as well, and a fire started rolling around in her lower abdomen, and her head bent back as she pressed his hips against her harder with her hands. "Mmm. You are really getting into it." He whispered, smiling against her neck. "I see two of them. Don't look, but there is one to the right of the clearing and one just moved directly behind it." He breathed into her ear, and began to drag his lips down her neck and across her throat. He let his lips touch her clavicle before he spoke again. "Ginra is closest to the more powerful one. The one behind us is less powerful, but only slightly." He brought his face nose to nose with Sakura's. Sakura looked into his eyes, knowing that he wasn't focused on hers, but on the threats behind and the right of him. She stared into them regardless; she watched as they pulsed. She could see the veins in his temples protruding in strain, and his brow furrowed in intense concentration. "I'm sorry" he whispered against her lips. Sakura saw his focus switch to her momentarily as he tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips against hers. Her once hooded eyes shot open like saucers, as she felt Neji press amazingly soft and moist lips against hers. She relaxed into his kiss, knowing that she couldn't be showing shock like this. She felt heat course through her already boiling belly as he gently moved his hand up her leg to her thigh. She hooked her leg around his bent leg as he continued moving upwards. His hand now on her hip moved around to the back of her, resting on her lower back. The heat of his hand felt like fire against her bare skin. She bucked against him slightly at his touch. While his lips continued to massage hers, he moved his hand once again to her middle back and to the little door he had her pressed against. She moved against him, tightening the hold her leg had around him, allowing him a little more space to work with. He opened the tiny door and pulled out a kunai, concealing it against Sakura's left buttock. Sakura gave a tiny gasp against his mouth as she felt the cold metal against her dress and it chilled the skin beneath it. Neji pulled his lips away and gave her a "get ready" look. With seamless, fluid movements, Neji slid his kunai-clutching hand down the back of her thigh and grasped her leg again to lift it higher, and like a dancer, shifted his weight to his bent leg and pivoted on his foot as he brought his other foot around in a wide arc twirling himself and Sakura around until his back was against the carriage now and Sakura was leaning against him, straddling his thigh. He quickly slid his hand and kunai from the back of her leg to her outer thigh, and quickly wedged the hand and weapon between their nearly touching abdomens. His eyes were no longer in their focused state, and he looked a little more normal. The chakra signatures were no longer faint, and were right on the edge of the clearing. Sakura could feel them clearly now, and she focused all her attention on the one far behind her. "They're closing in." Sakura whispered to Neji, as she began to move her hips against his thigh, trying to maintain the act. "I know" He replied temporarily distracted by the movement she was making. "Mmm" he moaned softly. "Don't get distracted, Hyuuga" Sakura whispered as she leaned in toward his neck and set her hands against the kunai he was still holding. She placed her lips on the cartilage of his ear and nibbled softly. "Give me the kunai" She whispered. Neji bucked up against her still moving hips, and Sakura gasped softly. Neji transferred the once cold now hot steel to her open hand. He was amazed at how quickly she took over. This was _his_ plan, and she seemed to know more about it than he did. _Why isn't she a Jounin yet? _He shook his head slightly. "You know what you're doing?" He asked. Sakura, her lips now resting against the pulse point on his neck, whispered "without a doubt" against him. Neji swallowed, hard. Sakura could feel the movement of his throat. She moved her head to the other side of his, and discreetly looked toward Ginra. He caught her gaze, and he tapped his pocket and rubbed his hand across his throat inconspicuously and separated his pointer and middle finger into the shape of a _v_ . She caught the signal. That was the code for _dangerous thief times two. _

_Thieves? _ "They're thieves, Neji." Sakura whispered, her attention back toward the Hyuuga between her legs. "I know." He replied, having seen the same hand signal that she had. "They are also enjoying the show, fortunately for us, or they would've already attacked. They've been watching from the same position for the last ten minutes." He smirked in his reply, "Let's not disappoint them."

Sakura smiled, but hesitantly. _What does he have in mind?_

"FOLLOW MY LEAD" Neji whispered emphasizing the importance of her compliance.

Sakura nodded slightly.

He hoisted her up, both legs now wrapped around his hips, kunai-in-hand nestled between their stomachs, his hands cupped her buttocks, her other hand grasped the back of his neck, and he began to stagger toward the tent. He barraged her neck with passionate kisses as he walked. Sakura tilted her head back, exposing her throat invitingly, letting out tiny moans as his hot and moist lips massaged the soft hollow above her sternum. Sakura's breathing became more rapid as she heard Neji once again whisper, "Byakugan", allowing all his chakra to be focused on his eyes, just in time to be hidden by the tent they had finally reached.

Neji set Sakura on her feet and laid down face up beside her. "Get on me" he whispered and held out a hand. Sakura blushed, and reached her hand toward his, still clutching the weapon to her stomach with the other. He pulled her down, slowly steadying her with his other hand, until she was straddling his hips. "Make some noise" He said, as he turned his head toward the thief's direction, able to see him clearly through the fabric of the tent with his ability.

Sakura let out a loud moan, and she felt something firm twitch beneath her. She could tell he was enjoying this more than he let on. She pressed her hand to his chest and readied her kunai and planted her stiletto clad feet on either side of Neji's hips, muscles tightened ready to spring forward. "Mmmmm, you feel so good baby" Neji said out loud, still looking intently through the tent. Sakura felt her muscles spasm inside as he called out, and a tiny moan escaped her lips, as she squeezed her eyes shut and involuntarily rocked her pelvis forward. Neji groaned, and looked toward her with a raised eyebrow. She opened her eyes and caught his eyes with hers, and she blushed fiercely, but it was too dark for him to tell.

"It's coming" he whispered and jerked his head toward the tent. Sakura nodded knowingly and readied herself once more. "Oh, god, I can't hold out, Oh – my – god." He called. "Trust me" he whispered. Sakura nodded again and focused her attention forward as she heard a slight rustling come toward the tent. "It's coming, now!" he yelled and he thrust his hips up in time with the second word. Using the momentum of his thrust, Sakura concentrated a controlled amount of chakra into her bent legs and lunged forward, kunai outstretched before her. She felt weightless for a split second as she glided forward, blade slicing through the air ahead of her. Just as she felt she was going to fly past the edge of the tent, the blade sunk to the hilt into a warm chest with a loud "thud".

"What the fuck!" A gargled scream vibrated the blade Sakura still held.

Now on her feet, and blood beginning to run down the hilt of the blade and onto her hand, she stood wide eyed staring at a large man with broad shoulders breathing laboriously. His hand reached up and wrapped fully around her throat and began to squeeze, cutting off Sakura's air supply.

"Ne-ji" she managed to squeak out.

Neji, already on his feet, watched breathlessly as the man clenched his large hand around Sakura's throat. Indignant, he widened his stance and molded extra chakra into his hands and cried out, "Hakke Rokujuuyonshou" which activated an ability unique to the Hyuuga family.

He lunged toward Sakura's assailant, and called out " two strikes!" as he hit the chakra points in thief's forearm, causing him to cry out in pain and drop the woman.

"Four strikes," and Neji hit more sensitive chakra points in the man's neck and shoulders, causing further cries of pain.

"Eight strikes," more pain.

"Sixteen Strikes" he cried again, with a growl and hit points in his chest, stomach and kidneys.

"Thirty-two strikes" Neji moaned through clenched teeth as he rammed his chakra through the man's knees, calves and lower abdomen.

The man began to bleed profusely from his wound and whimper like a dog.

"Sixty-four strikes" Neji called out with a rasping scream, and growled like a devil as he hit vital points in the enemy's throat, back, stomach, and with one final hit, he pounded the kunai embedded in his chest further into his body with a chakra imbued strike.

The man collapsed on his back with a loud thud. Neji stood over him, breathing heavily, with clenched fists.

Sakura looked at the man standing over her attacker wide eyed and slack jawed. She couldn't believe the ferocity with which Neji had just attacked. She had never seen him loose his control over his emotions like that during a fight, granted she had only seen a few including the chuunin exams a couple years ago.

"Sakura!" Neji called to her. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine" she coughed still trying to regain her voice since the thief nearly crushed her trachea with his brute strength. She rubbed a now cold hand over her throat and focused her chakra into her palm.

She closed her eyes and focused all her attention on her bruised wind-pipe, and the green glow of healing chakra warmed her vocal chords and restored proper blood flow. Unfortunately, she cannot heal bruises with her abilities being it is only discoloration from crushed capillaries, but she can restore those capillaries, and that is exactly what she did to herself.

Neji watched as Sakura healed herself in seconds flat. He then focused his attention to Ginra across the way, who was fighting valiantly against a very fast opponent.

"Sakura, can you make sure he doesn't bleed to death? I have eliminated his ability to move or use chakra, so you are safe, but could you heal him enough not to die?" He requested.

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"I'll explain later, but for now, could you just do it, I have to go help Ginra." He explained hurriedly;

Sakura nodded, and watched as Neji darted past her to go help the ANBU driver.

She made her way towards the man lying helpless on the ground and leaned her head toward his chest.

His heart was beating, but very faintly. She gripped the hilt of the kunai, and warned the man that it was going to hurt like hell before she pulled it out with a fast and smooth motion. The man gave a gargled moan and spit up a little blood as his eyes began to roll back in his head.

"No you don't!" Sakura cried out, and gave him a swift slap across the face.

This effectively brought the man back to consciousness, and she ripped his shirt apart where the kunai had been thrust and Sakura concentrated her chakra again into her palm as she hovered her glowing hand over his chest wound. The man grunted in complaint at the feeling of foreign chakra invading his system. "Don't move!" she commanded. She concentrated as she envisioned tissue and cells weaving together like twine on a loom. She felt each cell meld with its neighboring cell and each muscle fiber rent by the blade began to mend like a zipper between two pieces of fabric. She watched as the once torn skin began to don the pink color of new skin. She released the jutsu and laid her head again on his chest. No sound.

His heart had stopped.

She quickly concentrated the chakra in her hand again, and instead of focusing on the torn fabric of his flesh, she focused deeper. She regulated her breathing and screwed her eyes shut as she put all her strength and energy into the palm of her hand. With one thrust to his solar-plexus she released all of the chakra she had gathered. This sent the invading force straight to his heart, giving him a jolt, and she listened to his chest again, this time a faint 'thum-thump' was detected.

Sakura let out a long sigh and collapsed beside the _living_ enemy.

She turned her head toward Neji and Ginra, only to see them engaged in a heated battle.

She realized the only reason they had so easily defeated the idiot beside her was the element of surprise which Ginra did not have.

She closed her eyes, meaning only to rest them momentarily before getting up to go help her comrades, but she fell into an exhausted sleep, beside an unconscious enemy, with faint noises of struggle in the background.

Neji, reluctant to leave Sakura with that _asshole_ that had attacked her, knew the lump of flesh could do her no harm and hastened to Ginra's side. Byakugan still activated, he saw that the thief was very efficient in his chakra control, and realized that this would be no walk in the park.

"Ginra!" Neji called out as he lept into the air blocking an attack from above that the enemy was about to drop on the very disheveled ANBU member.

The young man, tall and muscular, moved very quickly and fluidly; making Neji realize that he was too skilled to be a match for just one ninja. Neji evaluated the situation and realized that speed against speed would only end in stalemate, and he needed to think for a moment to formulate a proper approach. He watched how he fought and watched each move he made with scrutiny. He dodged, a little too late, as a shiruken flew towards his face and sliced through his cheek then whizzed past his ear with an audible hiss. Neji lowered his body closer to the ground, touching his face with a slight wince and ,with one fluid motion, lunged toward the enemy as he was landing from an airborne attack on Ginra. The idiot acrobat dodged Neji's charge, landed on one foot, scissor stepped toward the side, and fell on his outstretched palm—placing all his weight on that one hand and arm, and lifted his legs into the air. He spun on the heel of his palm and brought his legs down with a crash, aiming for Neji's exposed back that he had just dodged. Neji, fully aware of what the thief was about to do, pivoted on his left foot spinning his body around one-eighty degrees in an instant. Neji planted his feet and concentrated his chakra again into his hands as he cried, "Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

He began to spin like a top, creating a blur of blue and red, and emitting chakra from his body. He was creating a steel-like shield around him as the thief's feet made contact with his powerful chakra. The force of the impact created a loud 'crack' as Neji heard and saw the thief's foot bend in an unnatural angle. The man cried out in pain as he flew through the air in the direction of the carriage.

"Ginra! Quickly, intercept his fall!" Neji cried out

In a flash. Ginra was underneath the falling man, and with lighting speed formed a series of hand seals and stamped his foot firmly against the ground. Two large boulders rose from the ground and slammed against one another, pinning the enemy between their solid surfaces. The man and rock fell to the ground with a giant thud and crumble. The very resilient thief began to rise again, shaking his head. While favoring his broken foot, still preparing to attack again, he gasped in surprise when Neji, like a ghost, glided beside the assailant and, with amazing speed and control, concentrated even more chakra into his fingertips and crushed the chakra points in the thief's knees.

The man gave a shrill cry as he fell to the ground holding his knees to his chest. Still writhing in pain, he began to form a series of hand seals, but Neji anticipated his moves and, with the same chakra tipped fingers, disabled his chakra points in his elbows, wrists and all but crushed his carpals.

The thief cried out once more before passing out from the intense pain in his extremities.

Ginra lumbered toward the carriage and rummaged around the back. He returned to the passed out man and Neji standing over him with a bundle of rope. "Go ahead and tie him up against a tree" Neji instructed, "I'm going to get the other asshole." Neji began making his way toward Sakura and her enemy-patient. When he arrived he saw her collapsed beside the unconscious man, and he felt panic flood through his chest, causing it to tighten with a pain he could only describe as fear.

"Sakura!" he cried as he landed on his knees beside her and lifted her into his arms, resting her head against his chest, heaving with heavy breathing and racing heartbeat.

"N-Neji?" She yawned.

Neji frowned, clutched his chest, sighed, and set her down again in the seated position, regarding her closely looking for any injuries. Satisfied that she was ok, he turned his attention to the man laying beside him. His chakra system was still disabled, and he was still unconscious, but he was very much alive. He looked back toward the ruffled kunoichi.

"Don't do that to me." Neji said through a giant sigh.

Sakura rubbed her eye. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to collapse like that, but I used a lot of chakra to keep this jackass alive. Excuse me for following _orders_." She quipped, immediately realizing that she had spoken too harshly by the expression on her companion's face. "I'm sorry" she mumbled looking down at her now filthy and blood stained dress.

Neji placed a hand on her chin, forcing her gaze up towards his now placid face. "Thank you." He whispered, and he laid a soft kiss on her forehead. "But don't scare me like that. I thought he had done something to you, and I would have undone everything you worked so hard for." He explained tenderly as he jerked his head in the unconscious fool's direction. "I would've killed him."

He stood up, not paying attention to Sakura's incredulous expression, and hoisted the man onto his shoulders. "I need you." He coolly stated.

"Neji." Sakura whispered. "What do you…"

"Over there, the other man broke his foot on my jutsu. It needs mending. I need you to heal it. Do you have the strength?" He finished.

"Oh, of course." Sakura giggled nervously at herself for thinking he meant something else. "I think I slept enough to regain some strength." She moved a piece of hair behind her ear and stood to her feet to follow Neji and his cargo to the edge of the clearing.

She reached the man in question, and he was unconscious as well.

"What did you do to him?" she asked not looking up, but running her hands across his disfigured foot feeling for the extent of the injury.

"Nothing really. He did it to himself." Neji replied calmly, as he tied the other man to a tree next to the one Sakura's new patient was secured to.

"And why am I healing him again?" she asked. "It isn't life threatening, and I should heal your injuries, not some asshole that attacked you."

Neji placed a hand over the now dried blood on his face, and winced slightly at the sting in his touch.

"I'll be fine. Ginra might need some attention, though. He took a bit of a beating before I showed up." He said motioning toward the ANBU resting against a tree, holding his side.

"You didn't answer my question" Sakura demanded, "Why should I heal this ass?"

"Because it's the right thing to do" Neji sighed. "We're leaving them here, letting them sleep peacefully in the woods. Since thieves in this area only travel in two's, so we don't have to worry about any others showing up unexpectedly. They'll wake up completely healed, with one hell of a headache, and go on their merry way."

"How do you know they won't come after us again?" Sakura asked.

Neji looked at her with a sly grin.

"Because you're going to create a serum that will make them forget everything about this incident." He replied.

Sakura grinned toothily; glad that someone actually noticed that she was second only to Tsunade-Sama when it came to mixing chemicals, drugs, and poisons. She knew the poisonous mushrooms and plants, and she could make a concoction out of flower nectar and fungus in a matter of minutes if given the chance.

Sakura concentrated, yet again, all her chakra into mending the broken foot, and repairing the carpal-tunnels (which Neji explained how and why it happened. It was pure genius what he did).

She lifted herself up and walked over to Ginra. He was still holding his side, and breathing shallow.

"Let me take a look" she probed.

Ginra let down his arms and Sakura unbuttoned his shirt, and placed a warm hand over his chest.

"You have two broken ribs. This may feel uncomfortable, but bear with me, it won't take long." She explained.

She placed a glowing hand on his ribs, and he winced as he felt the chakra being forced into his system, and felt it like tiny tendrils of silk were wrapping around his ribs. The tingle was a warm tingle, and he felt the bones move beneath his skin as the chakra seeping into his body realigned and mended them in minutes flat.

"Thank you" he said, as he buttoned up his own shirt. Sakura smiled in reply and made her way toward Neji. "Let me see your face" she said as she reached for his lacerated cheek.

Neji pushed her hand away, and held it gently. "Later, ok? Right now I need you to find ingredients for your miracle serum." He said looking intently at her tired eyes.

Sakura nodded and went back to Ginra, eliciting his help in finding a specific variety of plant.

Ginra went back to the carriage and removed one of the lanterns and he along with Sakura went into the wooded blackness to search for a plant. He felt like it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but he didn't know Sakura well enough to not believe that for a second. Sakura had one of the keenest eyes for herbs and fungi. After searching for nearly an hour, Sakura gasped.

"What is it?" Ginra quickly asked.

"I found it. Right here." She said as she bent down and moved a few leaves aside, to reveal a green and red plant that looked like it belonged on another planet.

She dug her fingers into the dirt below it, and pulled it up from the ground , roots still intact.

"It's the root from this plant that I will use to make the drug." She explained. "The starches from this plant's roots causes the synapses in the brain to temporarily shut down and stop firing. Too much could cause permanent brain damage, but with the right dosage, the only problem they will have is not remembering their last few days." She further explained, obviously impressing Ginra from the look of awe on his face.

They made their way back to the camp, and Neji was leaning against the carriage, looking in their direction.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" he called out expectantly.

Sakura nodded fervently and brought the plant over to him.

" I need a fire, some water and some kind of container to boil it in. They will have to drink it. " she instructed.

Ginra hastened to the campfire and lit it with some matches. Neji rummaged around the carriage and found a bamboo cylinder used for making tea. "Will this work?" he asked showing the object to Sakura.

She nodded, and took a small canteen from the driver's seat of the carriage and poured some over the roots of the plant to wash the dirt off. She then filled the cylinder half way with water and broke the root into three parts and dropped them in.

She brought the root and water over to the fire and placed the cylinder into the coals. While it was heating, she poured water over her hands and rubbed them vigorously washing any trace of the root off her hands, taking care not to have an unfortunate accident and forget all the wonderful things that have happened lately.

As soon as the root had boiled for the right amount of time, Sakura pulled the concoction out of the fire and set it carefully on the ground to cool.

"Am I giving this to them while their still unconscious?" She asked.

"If you can, yes." Neji replied. "We can't really risk them waking up and it being that much more difficult to force it down their throats."

Sakura nodded in compliance. "Let's let it cool first. It will kill their throats, and I don't want to use up anymore chakra to heal the idiots." She begged.

Neji smiled.

She really did love his smile. She let her eyes linger on his stretched lips, and moved up his face to land on a nasty gash on his face.

He noticed her object of attention, and he lifted his hand to touch it. He grimaced and hissed. It stung.

_He can't escape me attending to his wound. I will heal him whether he likes it or not._

After an awkward silence, filled with sounds of the surrounding forest, Sakura walked away from Neji, to check the bamboo vial of liquid she had set on the ground. She felt the sides of the tube, and was satisfied that it had cooled enough to force it down their throats. She didn't mind them having a little pain when they woke up besides a headache. _That's wicked. I know. I like it. They're assholes who deserve it _

Neji followed her over to the two thieves, and he held their mouths open while Sakura poured a portioned amount into their mouth. Neji held their noses, closed their mouth, and Sakura rubbed their throat from the base of their chin down to their clavicle repetitively until she was sure they had swallowed.

"This will keep them unconscious as well, for a long time. Probably a good 8 hours, if not more. They will wake up remembering only the very, _very_ strange dreams from the synapses in their brains misfiring." She explained. "We should be safe to sleep, without any worries."

Neji nodded. And headed for the tent.

Sakura followed, no longer thinking of the awkward situation of having to share a tent with him. She was too tired to care.

Ginra walked back to the horse, formed a series of handseals to perform a concealing jutsu, and the carriage and horse disappeared from the naked eye. He stretched and yawned, clumsily scratched his lower back, and stumbled into his tent.

Neji bent low into his tent, and Sakura followed him, while he held the flap open for her.

He collapsed on the futon and rolled onto his side, his back to Sakura.

"You can't go to sleep on me _now_" Sakura whined.

Neji jerked his head toward her direction, with a very startled look on his face.

"Sakura, I…" He began.

Sakura placed a finger on his lips to quiet him.

He swallowed, and she could feel the heat flood to his lips.

She let her finger slide across is bottom lip and up the side of his face.

Her finger began to glow as she gently ran it across the gash on his face.

Neji let out a sigh and closed his eyes. In a matter of minutes, one could not tell that a blade had ever touched his perfect face.

Neji reached his hand up and moved a strand of pink hair away from Sakura's face, and he grabbed her hand that was still resting on his warm face.

"Thank you" he whispered through a very weak smile.

"Go to sleep" Sakura replied.

He laid down and turned toward her, and closed his eyes and let his hand fall limp by his side.

Sakura searched his face carefully, and noted how peaceful and beautiful he looked as he slept.

She laid down, her back to him, and closed her eyes. She fell into a deep sleep before she could think anything else.

Neji opened his eyes as soon as he heard her breathing even out. He moved closer to her and reached his hand out to gently stroke her hair. It felt so silky to his touch.

He let his eyes trail down her naked back, and he smiled. He could get used to having such a beautiful thing in his bed. Just so he could feel her presence and smell her lavender shampoo.

With that thought, he closed his eyes, too heavy to stay open, and drifted into blackness as dreams of cherry blossoms kept him occupied through the night.

**THAT'S THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. I KNOW IT WAS LONGER THAN THE OTHERS, I HOPE THAT'S A GOOD THING. PLEASE READ AND COMMENT. I HAVE ENJOYED YOUR COMMENTS SO FAR. THANK YOU! NEXT 'CHAPPIE' COMING SOON. :) **


	5. Swan's Nest

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME BRIEF SEXUAL REFERENCES. **

**A CHANGE OF PACE**

**CHAPTER 5: SWAN'S NEST**

Neji jerked into the sitting position and immediately brought his hands to his head and moaned. He squinted at the light filtering in through the flaps of the tent, and brought his hands over his eyes to block the light causing cracks of pain behind them.

"What happened?" he mumbled to himself before he stretched and ground out a releasing yawn.

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head a little working away the sleep still weighing on his lids. His body hurt all over, and he looked down to his shirt, that was once bright red, now faded and dusted with brown and torn from what looked like a struggle.

His eyes shot wide open and sucked in a breath in realization. He jerked his head to his left to see the still sleeping kunoichi lying next to him, and relaxed at the sight of her curled up in most of the blanket that had covered them both.

He smiled, and yawned again. He watched her sleeping, being careful not to move or make any more noise as not to wake her. He just wanted to watch her as her covered chest heaved up and down with her even breathing. His eyes wandered down her petite frame, and held back a muffled chuckle when he saw her legs, from the knee down, protruding from the bunched up covering. She was still wearing her complimenting black shoes, and dirt was smeared on her shins. He balled his hand into a fist, and bit his bottom lip, holding back the urge to reach out and touch her exposed ivory skin.

Memories of the night's events began flooding his head and he started to feel heat gather in his chest. He could still feel her breath on his skin and could hear her moans, even though they were an act, he wondered what she would sound like in the throes of _real_ pleasure. He wondered what beautiful faces she would make when he touched her just right and the way her body would move with desire for more. Neji licked his lips and clenched his jaw at the thought of taking her right now.

Neji shook his head, as though he were throwing thoughts from his head like beads of water from his hair. _Just yesterday I was fully satisfied being alone, and now I can't imagine being without her next to me, like _this_. _He furrowed his brow in thought. _Honestly, I wasn't satisfied at all. _He let his eyes drift back up Sakura's body, and let them perch on her face—half covered by the blanket. Her hair was like a nest, disheveled and amazingly still beautiful. He could still smell faint hints of lavender wafting his way. He listened to the sound of her breathing, even and deep. It strangely made him feel at peace, like a trickling creek in the middle of a forest would. He could watch for hours, lost in the tranquility of her languid form.

The realization that there were thieves outside, tied to a tree, snapped him back to reality. They needed to get going ASAP, but not before cleaning up and changing into something a little less shredded.

"Sakura." He said softly, hating to have to wake the sleeping blossom.

Sakura stirred a little, and snorted a tiny breath in. But she remained asleep.

"Sa Ku Ra," He said again, syllabic, and with a childish tone. He reached out a hand, the hand he had previously held in a tight fist, and gently moved pink silk strands from her face and cupped her exposed cheek. "We need to get going, Sakura."

Her face warmed his hand, and the softness of her rose-kissed cheek made him want to keep his hand there for ages.

Sakura stirred again, this time her eyes cracked open just enough for Neji to see a sliver of green peek out from behind her kohl lashes. He removed his lingering hand, and rubbed his fingers together as though he were rubbing her softness into his calloused skin.

"Neji?" she mumbled out, heavy sleep evident in her voice.

"Good morning." He said, smiling very faintly. "You were sleeping well. Good thing I wasn't an enemy, or I could've taken the tent from under you and you would never have noticed." He said with a smirk.

That playful little insult really woke Sakura up.

"What are you saying?" she asked, her voice cracking from the squeezing her throat took the night before, but lacking the slur of sleep.

"Just that you were out like a light." Neji stated matter-of-factly.

"That's what you think. I could feel your eyes. You just think you were watching me sleep." She smiled into her words. She pressed her hand to her cheek, where Neji's had been just moments ago. "And I felt your hand on me."

Sakura threw the blanket off her warm body with her arm, the other wedged comfortably under her pillow. With one quick movement, she was on her knees, kneeling between Neji's legs. Neji swallowed hard at the feel of the flat surface of a warm kunai pressed to the side of his face.

"I did sleep well, but my senses are keener than you think." She huffed.

Neji realized that the hand hidden beneath her pillow was holding the blade all night. He lifted his hand and pressed her intrusive hand away from his face, and held her forearm.

"I stand corrected." He muttered and he slowly set her hand, still clutching the blade, on her lap. He let his fingers, barely touching, drag down her forearm and the top of her hand. He watched her face as he moved his fingers. She closed her eyes and sighed softly. Heat flooded his chest again, as he watched her reaction.

Neji cleared his throat, and clenched his fist again.

"We really do need to get going." He grunted as he rose to a crouch and exited the tent.

Sakura, still kneeling and in a daze, just sat there for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She liked the feeling of Neji's eyes roaming her 'sleeping' form, and she almost lost her composure when he touched her face. She could still feel the roughness of his hand on her soft skin. She placed her hand on her face again, noting the difference between his touch and her own. There was no comparison, and she couldn't deny that she almost felt _need_ for his touch. She let the events of the night flood her mind and she shuddered as her body recalled the pleasure of each touch he placed on her with his hands, his breath, his lips. She knew it was all an act. She knew it was all fake. But she still couldn't shake the desire she had for Neji, the same desire that crept up on her last night. The same desire that drove her to act asleep while she drank in the feeling of his gaze, and his caress.

She ran a trembling hand through her tangled locks, and wobbled her way out of the tent, trying not to trip over her own feet, still clad in very uncomfortable shoes. Her heels ached, and her ankles were swollen from the constricting straps. Unsure of her footing, and grimacing at the sharp pain shooting up through her heal into her leg, she sat back down on the edge of the tent, her feet exposed to the unhindered light from the cloudless sky. _I never sleep with my shoes on. _Sakura shook her head at her failure to remove the clamps from her feet before she fell asleep. She fumbled with the buckles around her reddened ankles and rubbed them with a slight amount of warming chakra. With a 'humph' she was back on her feet again, and she stumbled away from the fabric of the tent and out into the daylight.

She looked to her right, where the thieves had been tied up, and saw Neji and Ginra untying the still unconscious men. Uneasiness curled up in her belly at the thought of untying them, but then that would mean she doubted her own ability as a true medical-nin. She was confident in the concoction she had made and no amount of tying or untying of dangerous thieves could alter that fact. She swallowed her insecurities and sauntered to the carriage on bare feet, carefully avoiding sharp rocks and protruding sticks.

Once she reached the carriage, she tripped her way toward the back, keeping a hand on the firmly planted carriage for balance, and found her suitcase stuffed underneath Neji's. With some crafty maneuvering and wiggling, she freed the case from the binds and set it on the ground, opened it, and rummaged through the contents in search of something to wear in place of the filthy garb she was currently in. It really was impressive the way Shizune packed so many things in that case. After a considerable amount of excavating, she found an azure halter dress, with a V-neck and a large brass brooch at the valley. She found a pair of copper stilettos that seemed to compliment the color nicely, in her opinion. At this point, Sakura would give half her pay just to have her comfortable uniform back.

Sakura huffed and, managing not to trip over the uncomfortable surface of the ground, made her way back to the tent with her cargo, and another canteen of water. She made her way to the broad side of the tent, completely concealed from the prying eyes of the two men on the other side of the clearing.

Neji rolled the rope into a loop after effectively removing its length from around the tree and letting the man at his feet fall to the side with a thump. He checked the large thief's pulse, and though it was still fairly weak knew that he would wake any moment now. He needed to hurry. He looked over at Ginra doing the same with the other assailant. Ginra had brought over a bottle of Sake he had kept in a secret compartment and popped the cork with a clear 'thwok'. Neji slid Ginra a questioning look at the revealed bit of liquor.

"Uh. It's for emergencies, er… Like this one!" Ginra attempted to explain.

Neji shook his head and watched as Ginra poured some of the alcohol in the thin man's mouth. Neji caught on to what he was doing and ripped the already torn shirt adorning the larger thief clear through. Ginra dragged the thin man over to the one Neji was manipulating and laid him next to the large man, and drenched the larger man's mouth with the pungent liquid. Neji and Ginra then proceeded to remove the assailant's pants, which made for a laborious task, and threw them to the side. Neji placed the half bottle of Sake in the thin man's hand, and snickered toward Ginra as they both walked away, rope in hand.

"They aren't even going to want to talk about what might have happened when they wake up with the smell of alcohol, ripped open shirt, laying so close to one another, and missing their pants." Ginra said, winking at Neji.

Neji nodded, smirking at the implications of their compromising position. The way he and the ANBU set it up, they aren't going to _want_ to remember, even though they probably never would. _Embarrassing_. He almost felt sorry for them. _Almost._

Neji looked around the clearing, seeing that Sakura was nowhere to be seen. _That kunoichi. She's still sleeping? _He rolled his eyes and trudged his way back to the tent to coax her out so they could leave. Last thing he wanted was a repeat of last night's battle before breakfast, and those thieves were on the cusp of waking up, if Sakura's estimations were correct. He made haste toward the tent they had shared, wanting to hurry and drag her out of the tent so Ginra could roll it back up and Neji could put something cleaner on. As he neared the fabric shelter, he heard a distinct sound of water splashing. Curious as to where the sound originated, he peaked into the tent, and it was empty, but in addition to a futon and crumpled blanket, there laid a pile of black fabric, and next to it were a pair of dainty shoes.

Neji felt a lump rise in his throat. Those were Sakura's clothes, and the kunoichi was not _in_ them, or in the tent. He entered the tent, and made sure of what he was seeing. He could still hear the sound of water, and the realization dawned on him that she was on the other side of the thin fabric, hidden from view. _She must not have heard me. _Neji rationalized why she hadn't already screamed out his name followed by 'pervert', although he hadn't come to spy on her, she wouldn't see it that way. _Certainly she can sense my presence here, why is she not running me out of the tent with expletives and threats?_

Neji stayed hidden in the tent. What he was waiting for he wasn't quite sure. He listened carefully, trying to gauge whether or not it was safe to exit the tent and make a B-line for the carriage before the pink haired blossom turned into a raging maniac raining fists down on him. He knew her destructive power; he'd seen it in action a handful of times—mostly when he saw her sparring with the Hokage. _If her fist did that to a boulder, I don't want to imagine what she would do to my face. _Still Neji couldn't help but imagine the view that must be on display to all of nature on that side of the tent. He rested his weight on his haunches, and denied himself the temptation to use Byakugan to at least see her chakra signature. He heard a moan come from Sakura's mouth, and it sounded like a pleasurable one. Neji swallowed hard, amazed that he still had moisture left in his mouth _to_ swallow. He was really pushing it, staying this long out of curiosity. He shifted his weight to the foot closest to the tent opening, and just as he was about to exit the tent as stealthily as possible, he heard rustling toward the back of the tent. The shuffling of feet, followed by a few expletives ground out through clenched teeth in regards to the "stupid rock", sounded nearer the entrance, and Neji held his breath.

Light flooded in as the flap flew back and wet curls poked inside followed by an annoyed face.

"Neji!" Sakura gasped. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She rasped out, emerald eyes narrowing to slits.

Neji raised his hands in defense. "Absolutely nothing. It is nothing as it seems, Sakura." He stated calmly.

"The hell it doesn't" she pushed. "You pervert" She huffed out the word, and removed her head from the tent. If someone had told Neji that it was possible to slam a tent flap he wouldn't believe it, but Sakura just proved it could be done. With a loud clap, she shoved the tent closed with both hands, letting the canteen she was holding fall to the ground.

Neji could still hear her breathing just outside. It had slowed down to normal, and it wasn't moving away.

"Sakura?" Neji probed, making sure to keep his voice as neutral sounding as possible.

"Sakura, I wasn't peeking, or spying, or doing any of the things you think I was doing." He explained.

_Not that I didn't want to._

"I was just coming here to get you, because the men are going to be grumpy when they wake up, and I don't think you want to witness an encore of last night." He gently explained, trying to coax some sense into her.

_Although I wouldn't mind repeating some of last night._

"Neji." Sakura's soft voice was nearly inaudible. "I didn't mean to blow up like that. I didn't really think you were peeking. Even if you were, well…" She trailed off.

"What I'm trying to say, is… I'm sorry I called you a pervert." She said penitently.

"To tell the truth, I knew you were there before you knew where I was." She explained. "I trust you, really. That's why I didn't say anything."

"Then why did you act so surprised that I was in here?" Neji inquired.

Silence.

"Well, regardless of what just happened, or what just didn't happen; we really need to go. I can't stress that enough." Neji broke the silence. "Is it safe to come out?" He asked breathily.

Sakura opened the tent flap again, and instead of poking in her head, she entered completely.

Neji couldn't help but notice how sexy she looked in the blue dress hanging from her neck and draping over all the right curves. A breath hitched in his throat and he tried to conceal the heat rising in him again.

Neji cleared his throat. "I take that as a 'yes' then" he said nonchalantly.

Sakura ignored his statement and gathered up her soiled clothes and before exiting, she rested her hand on Neji's.

Neji looked up suddenly into her eyes that were now searching his face. They were wet and welling up.

"Sakura. What's wrong?" He asked tenderly as he reached a hand up and brushed the moisture, attempting to escape her lashes, away.

Her face contorted into a forced smile, and she shook her head.

"We should get going, like you said." She responded with a slight crack in her voice. Neji couldn't tell if it was because of the tender trachea, or a held back sob that caused her words to sound so broken.

At that, Sakura exited and Neji could hear her footsteps fade into the distance. Neji couldn't figure out what just happened. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

Neji sat there, still hunkered down, playing the events of the morning through his head, at a loss for an explanation of what got into Sakura all of the sudden. Finally, just to clear his head, he attributed her actions to the mysteries of the fairer sex, and he lifted himself off his bent legs and left the tent.

Across the way, Neji spied the kunoichi bent over her opened suitcase, shuffling things about.

_Oh shit. I need to change. _Neji quickened his pace and reached the carriage in seconds flat, passing Ginra heading for their tent, being the last thing to go into the carriage. He glanced down at the still crouching Sakura as he reached for his own suitcase. He noticed her bent back hiccupped now and then, and heard gentle sighs. It sounded like she was crying, and for the life of him he could not understand why. He angled his thin eyebrows upwards in a concerned look, and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He searched for words to say, but nothing seemed to assimilate in his mind appropriate for the situation. Neji pursed his lips together and inhaled deeply, letting it out smooth and slowly, and closed his eyes. Aware of the impending need to hurry, he let it pass, and pulled out his suitcase, opened it, and snatched the first shirt lying on top of the tightly packed contents and laid it over one. He nimbly and hurriedly unbuttoned the filthy silk shirt he currently wore, and pulled it off his shoulders, letting it drop in a pile at his feet. He pulled out one of the many canteens stuffed in the back and bent his head down to pour the cool liquid over his neck and arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Sakura stealing glances of his shirtless body. He looked up from his bird bath and caught her full in the face during one of her peeks.

When their eyes met, Sakura abruptly severed the contact, and shuffled nervously to close the suitcase at her feet. She fumbled with the latches and, now frustrated, she forced it shut with a slam of her closed hand. She lifted the hunk of leather and cloth with both hands and lumbered around the carriage, taking care to walk the long way around; positioning herself behind Neji's exposed back. She watched, briefly, his muscles rippling under his skin as he moved his hands over his neck, stomach, and arms. Heat rose in her face and she choked back another sob. Annoyed, she carelessly shoved her suitcase back where it belonged, and moved quickly despite the poor excuse for footwear she wore; she nearly leapt into the cab and smoothed her dress down around her and stared blankly out the tiny cut-out window.

Neji felt Sakura's eyes on his back again, but only briefly. He also felt her aggravation, and he was almost afraid to ride in the same breathing space as her. He finished cleaning the sweat off his body, dusted off his jeans, amazingly unscathed by the scuffle the night before, and pulled on a copper colored shirt, much like the one he had just removed. Fumbling with the buttons slightly irritated him, since he was trying to hurry, but wanted the time to stretch on forever too, knowing full well that he couldn't have both. Neji bent down and dusted off his boots, smoothed his jeans again, and ran his hand through his hair which had a few tangles buried in its thickness.

With a hand on the rail, and a foot on the step, Neji pulled himself—slowly—into the carriage and he felt the balance shift with his weight. As soon as he was seated across from the now indifferent Sakura, he let his gaze fall on obscure objects: His boots, the dust particles shimmering in the sun rays, the way the fabric twisted into a rope outlining the interior, the floor, or the window. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't avoid letting his eyes glance off Sakura in passing between random focal points.

"Tsk, Tsk!" Ginra clicked his tongue against his teeth to goad the horse into movement, and the carriage lurched forward, leaving only two soon-to-be-very-confused men behind.

Sakura continued to stare out the window, letting her thoughts consume her. She didn't pay attention to the jerky movement of the cab on the rough path, nor did she give notice to the glances given her by her comrade across from her. She was silent, inattentive, and she was making Neji nervous.

After what seemed like hours of silence, Neji felt it necessary to speak. He couldn't take it anymore, and he needed to understand; he needed to see into her head.

"Sakura, I…" He began, letting his voice trail off when he watched her head slowly turn towards him, followed by her eyes still focused on something in the middle distance between them. She wasn't focused on him as he spoke, and it irked him. He continued anyway.

With his brow creased in concentration, he let the words spill out. "Sakura, I don't know what I did, or didn't do for that matter, but I would like to know what it was that made you so upset."

Silence, _again._

"Listen, if this was about last night…" He began again, not sure what to say about last night.

"Neji" Sakura whispered, hand gently touching his knee.

She shook her head, and lifted her hand from his knee and placed it back in her lap.

Sakura turned her face toward the window again, watching the trees move by, while Neji waited for her to say something else.

"There isn't anything you need to apologize for." Her eyes were still fixed on the landscape floating by.

She inhaled quite deeply, and let it all out in one massive sigh.

"Then what is it?" Neji pried, "We can't be a team if we can't talk to one another."

Sakura, without looking away from the hypnotizing landscape, whispered, "It's my problem, I don't need to burden you with issues of a woman."

"Please, it's not like I have anywhere to go. You are stuck here with me for a while; you might as well get it off your chest." Neji pleaded, pleased that he was making a _little_ progress with the constricted kunoichi.

Sakura took a breath, paused for a moment, and began to spill her thoughts.

"When I was still in classes before becoming a gennin, I was very lonely. Sure my parents were around when I went home, but when it came to camaraderie, I was severely lacking." She began.

Neji sat back and tried to relax; he knew that it would take a while, and he was willing to listen to whatever she had to say. He just wanted to hear her voice again; smooth and milky like her skin.

"Ino became a fast friend, but since we were bitter rivals as well, the friendship was always strained. Then came Naruto, that loudmouthed, rule breaking, ramen eating brat. He was nice enough, but my parents stressed that he was dangerous. Something about a forbidden jutsu used on him as a baby." Her words spilled out like water, obvious that she was finding release in talking it out with someone.

Neji wasn't quite sure what she was getting at, but he knew that patience was a virtue, and time would tell. He continued to listen as the words gushed out of her.

"Of course I know now what they were talking about, with that forbidden jutsu and all. He had the Kyubi inside—that nine tailed, good-for-nothing fox demon—and no matter how much I tried to rationalize it, it still frightened me." She lifted her hand to press a stray hair away from her mouth as she continued. "Then I find him in the same class as me. I couldn't believe it, and I was scared of having to practice fight with him. But as soon as I saw his ninjutsu skills, I realized he was more of a threat to ramen than to any living thing, because frankly; he was horrible."

Her words fell like a torrent on Neji's ears, and all he could do was silently nod.

"Then I saw him." Her breath hitched in her throat, as she tried to hold back from crying again.

"He was so handsome, and he had a mysterious aura about him. But I didn't feel fear around him. I felt intrigue, maybe even a little safety, when I was near him. I thought that it was love. I know it was just a childhood infatuation, but feelings then were so strong that I remember them so clearly even now." She sounded calm and collected now.

"When I found that he and the pinhead, Naruto, were going to be in the same team as me, I was thrilled and terrified at the same time." She looked up slightly as though she were recalling every detail of that day.

"Bonds were quickly made, and I found myself becoming infatuated with the dark haired Uchiha." She said the name breathlessly.

"Uchiha Sasuke" she whispered, holding back the tears.

"Then he left us. Just like that. Suddenly, abruptly, without warning. He forsook all that we had worked hard for. The team suffered because of it. _I_ suffered. I can't count how many nights I cried myself to sleep thinking of his last words to me. 'Thank you' he said." She smirked. "Thank you? That's all he had to say, and he left me on a bench, unconscious and frail." She balled the cloth of her dress in her fist, seeming to find support and balance in the wadded silk.

"It wasn't long after that night that I found myself under the tutelage of Tsunade-Sama, our fifth Hokage. She taught me strength and control. She taught me to believe in myself." She paused to take a breath.

"I learned that I was capable of so much as an individual, and I didn't need anyone. I didn't need Naruto to come bail me out of sticky situations anymore. I didn't need to feel insecure and worthless when I was around the other ninjas." She sounded confident as she spoke. "I learned how to connect my heart to my body, and the results are satisfying." Her chest jutted out slightly in pride, although she was unaware of her shift in posture.

"A lot of things have happened between the day I woke up on the park bench and now." She sighed.

"Still; I can't seem to completely erase him from my mind. When I'm alone with my patients and in my home asleep, I keep his memory at bay. Nothing reminds me of him. And I don't hurt." She started again, "Now, I'm on a mission, the first one I've been on in a _very_ long time. And everything reminds me of him." She clenched her jaw, and a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Every time I look at you, I remember the missions I always dreamed of going on with _him. _The ways I wanted to save _him." _She nearly broke into a fit of tears, but she choked them back with amazing control. "The way I wanted to be close to him as a teammate, a friend, a woman."

Neji leaned forward closing the distance between him and the trembling kunoichi across from him.

He reached out and wiped the tear away that had left a tiny trail down her pale cheek.

"How is it that he still finds ways to hurt you?" Neji inquired, letting his lingering touch turn into a cupped hand over her cheek.

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked directly into Neji's eyes, completely focused on him now. She was sure that this story would just bore him, and make him uncomfortable. Instead he was listening and taking it all in. He spoke to her, and hit a sensitive spot, but he was right. She was hurting, and it was because she refused to completely let go.

Sakura looked down, as if ashamed and rubbed her hand over her shoulder, absentmindedly, appearing to be cold and insecure.

"You will never taste the full flavor of life, if you keep holding on to things long past." He rubbed his thumb across her jaw line. "Believe me, I struggle with it myself" He said pointing to the prosthetics covering his brow, hiding the Branch family mark, and the pain that accompanied it.

He removed his hand, and rested his back against the seat fully. He chose his words carefully, and began to explain.

"When my uncle, the head of the Hyuuga household—the main family, explained that my father gave his life willingly, instead of it being taken from him, I wanted to scream. Instead I sat there quietly, feeling all the beliefs that I had about destiny and curses start to fizzle out like a fuse." He rubbed his jaw and continued.

"That day, something in me died. I had harbored hate for so long. Hate against my father for dying. Hate against my uncle for being the brother chosen to be the Head; leaving my father to be Branch, and servant to his twin. Hate against my own blood. That hate began to slowly whither within me, and in its stead, grief and regret took shape." Neji looked at the sniffling Sakura across from him and paused for a moment before carrying on.

"This mark that I wear cannot be removed. Only when my life is taken from me, or I give it freely will it fade from my skin. It screams at me when I look in the mirror. It cries out all the insecurities I have with myself, with my history, with my destiny." He touched the prosthetics on his head, and he frowned a little as he recalled the pain. "But I am finally realizing that my destiny is what I make. Not what someone else tells me that I should be, or do. And I find freedom in that. I decide. I act. I live. I accept all repercussions and rewards. It isn't easy, knowing that one day this mark could be activated by someone in the main family for any reason, since they reserve that right as masters of the Branch family. But I am slave to no one, and I sure as hell won't be a slave to my own fear." He said with a firm voice, and a clenched jaw.

He quieted himself, and observed Sakura, now bathed in sunlight.

"Neji…" Sakura's voice trailed off, and her face contorted as she couldn't maintain the dam against her impending tears.

Her hands flew to her face and her shoulders bent over. Her voice cracked and hiccupped, and the tears came without hindrance. Her back and shoulders heaved with each sob, and her tears leaked between the fingers shielding her face.

"Sakura" Neji said, searching for words to comfort her, but coming up empty handed.

She leapt forward, to Neji's surprise, and fell at his feet; her body nestled between his thighs, and her face buried in the fabric of his shirt. She fisted the silky cloth with both hands and Neji could feel her hot tears soak through to his skin. Her moans and gasps were muffled by his stomach.

Neji placed a hand on her back, and stroked her hair with the other. He knew that there weren't any words that could be as healing and cleansing as the release she was getting at this moment. He just let her cry, knowing full well that he would have to change his shirt again.

Sakura hissed through clenched teeth, and sucked the air back in through them. She groaned, and she moaned as the pent up pain and sorrow emptied itself through her lungs, her tear ducts, and her throat. She had never cried so hard in her life. She had never opened herself to anyone, and had never felt as safe as she did right now. The safety, and the sorrow—juxtaposed against one another, played tug of war with her body, and the heaves that ensued lasted for an eternity, it seemed.

When the racking of her body and emotions finally quelled to mere whimpers and sniffles, she realized which of the two forces fighting in her body had won the battle. The answer lied in the face looking down at her swollen eyes and tear streaked face. _Safety_.

She smiled weakly, and looked back down at his soaked shirt. It was stained a darker shade of copper, and was smeared with her snot. She brought her hand to her face, and gasped. "I'm sorry for crying all over you." She said, still having a slight quiver on her lips. "I made a mess of you, oh god. I'm so sor…" Her words were cut off by Neji's finger pressed firmly to her open lips.

"Shhhh" He hushed.

"Don't worry about my shirt. I've had blood smeared all over me, I've had clients' little brats pee on me during D class missions, and I'm sure Shizune has a Laundromat packed away somewhere in that magically stuffed case of mine." He smiled into his words.

Sakura couldn't hold back a smile.

"Was that an attempt at a joke?" she lightheartedly teased.

"Did it work?" he asked, unsure, since he never understood jokes.

Sakura nodded and gave Neji a toothy grin.

"Thank you." Sakura placed his hand on her face and inhaled his scent.

Neji let his thumb caress her face again, and relished the warmth and moisture of her breath against his palm.

He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. She was already asleep on the floor, face buried in his hand, and head laid against his abdomen. He peered, eyes half closed, at the little kunoichi lying in his lap; he watched as her hair jostled with every bump in the road they traveled, and her head rolled to and fro between his stomach and hip. Her face held him captive with the peace she exuded from her pores as she breathed evenly, and carefree. He was glad that he had been there for her, had been here for her now as she rested. He knew what it was like to struggle, and to be able to confide in someone was a rare treasure that only fools refuse.

He always was a fool. He wouldn't admit it, but he needed that special treasure more than anything. His stoic faces and indifferent attitude always drove his friends to silence and they never probed deeper to try to break through to his interior frailty. He never let them. But Sakura pulled him out of himself instead of breaking in. It seemed fitting, since the pain she experienced, though by a different situation and on a different level, was not unlike his. Common ground seemed to be discovered by their scars and secret tears, and Neji was dumbfounded at the serendipity of it all. He didn't even believe in coincidence, but it seemed odd that the two of them, not likely to ever spend time together of their own accord, were fitting each other like gloves.

His eyes grew heavier while he lost himself in his thoughts. He looked back down at Sakura, still sleeping peacefully, and he leaned his head back against the headrest's cushion, and blinked his eyes shut, until everything faded, and he too was lost in tranquil slumber.

Sakura jolted so hard that her foot hit the seat behind her, and she sucked in a gasp between her teeth at the stinging sensation in her heel. She was awakened by Ginra knocking on the little door at the front of the carriage.

"Sakura-Ma'am, Neji-Sir, please wake up, we have arrived. I am sorry to wake you, but we need to check you in to the Inn." He spoke in odd tones.

It was weird to Sakura to hear him call her Ma'am, and call Neji Sir. She was about to say something about it, when Ginra gave her a quick wink, signifying that it was time to really be incognito from this point on. She gave him and understanding nod, and shook Neji's knee to try to wake him.

"Sakura, why are you shaking me?" Neji asked calmly looking down at her quizzically.

She realized at that moment that Neji was already awake.

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep" she apologized, and supported herself on his knees with her hands, and pushed herself upright. Her legs were stiff, and she rubbed the blood flow back into them with warm hands.

Neji was a step ahead of her and was up on his feet, crouching under the low clearance of the small quarters. He neared the entrance, and looked back. "Are you ready?" he asked with a questioning face.

Sakura took a deep breath, exhaled with closed eyes, and opened them with a nod.

Neji opened the small door and Ginra waited outside with their luggage and had the small step pulled down for them. Neji let himself out and down, and stood with gentlemanly poise holding his hand out for support as Sakura emerged. She placed her small hand in his open palm and felt the ground beneath her feet.

"Welcome to Minohana, I hope you enjoy your stay. Please be here at this coach stop at the time specified on your papers. It was a pleasure serving you." Ginra said as though he were citing a line from a monologue.

"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave." He stated and closed the carriage door, replaced the step, and mounted the driver's seat, goaded the horse along, and made his way up the road they had entered the town on.

Sakura looked around her in awe. The light was quickly diminishing behind the horizon, but the lights of the town were growing brighter. It seemed that every edifice was made of stone or brick and were outlined in ropes of light. Every few feet, there stood a tall iron lamp, with a glass encasing at the top and a candle burning bright within. The road that wound its way through the center of the town was comprised of red and bronze and earthy colored smooth stones. She found it difficult to traverse said surface in her spike-heeled shoes.

Neji took in his surroundings with little awe. It took quite a shock to surprise him, and this town, in his opinion, was just a difference in architecture and commerce, but the culture should remain the same. Surroundings duly noted; he hoisted their luggage up with both hands and walked across the cobblestoned way and headed for the double wooden doors engraved with a swan on each.

Sakura ran ahead of him and opened the doors for him, allowing him to pass freely inside without struggling with his occupied hands. He walked up to the curved desk at the end of the vestibule, and set the cases on the floor. The woman standing behind it, without looking up, asked them for the name used to reserve their room. "Hyuuga." Neji answered.

"Ah, here you are. Neji and Sakura Hyuuga?" She verified.

Sakura nodded, fighting a blush, and Neji's countenance stayed calm.

The woman handed them a key each, and rang a bell. Out of the door to the right of the desk, appeared a young man in an odd uniform. He picked up their luggage effortlessly. The receptionist woman called their room number to him, and he made his way ahead of them requesting that they follow.

They walked down a hall, up two flights of stairs, and down another hall. The young man stopped in front of a wooden door, engraved with a swan just like the entrance doors but accompanied by the number '312'.

The young man set the luggage just outside the door, bowed, and made his way back toward the ground floor.

"Well here we are." Neji said, inserting his key into the lock, and he twisted until he heard a click. He pushed the door and it opened. The smell of roses flooded their senses as they picked up their respective cases and entered the dark room.

The door closed with a click behind them, and Sakura took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim room lit only by the rays of the setting sun filtering in through closed curtains.

Neji, of course had no problem. He walked straight to the window and threw the fabric curtains wide.

Orange light flooded the room, and they both took in their surroundings.

There was one bed right by the window, and it was accented with a smattering of red and white rose petals. On the dresser, across from the bed, there stood a tall vase with two red roses protruding from its mouth. The aroma was tantalizing.

Sakura immediately dropped her luggage on the floor and opened it with lightning speed. She rummaged through the contents searching for sleepwear and undergarments. Once she laid hold of her prize, she dashed for the bathroom, and locked the door behind her.

"Ha!" She called from behind the closed door.

Neji smirked at her playful behavior, and heard the water rush through pipes and splash on a hard surface where Sakura was. He continued to listen as he heard metal scrape against metal in one long sliding instant, and the water that had once sounded steady, now fell in random patterns with splishes and sploshes against the floor of the shower.

He walked to the window, and stared out at the ilk of night spread out in the distance, broken by the ambience of street lamps and shop signs.

"Byakugan" he said aloud, activating his ability as a Hyuuga, and he searched the streets, riddled with shoppers and couples, hand in hand. He was searching for Kabuto. After some time, and satisfied that the rogue nin was nowhere within range of his sight, he released the ability and let himself fall backwards on the bed. He inhaled the scent of rose petals, and the sweet scent of vanilla wafting from under the bathroom door. It smelled of total bliss, and he closed his eyes, falling deeper into the therapeutic aroma. His mind roamed free under its influence and he gasped when his mind's eye focused on a nude Sakura. His eyes shot open and wide. He sat erect and buried his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes as if he were trying to wash away the image. It wasn't that he didn't want to imagine the perfect woman with alabaster skin, wearing only her charming smile; he didn't want his body to react and have to explain himself to a shocked kunoichi once she emerged from her shower. He shook his head, and traipsed toward his suitcase to find something suitable for sleeping comfortably.  
A pair of blue boxers and an overshirt was all he could manage to find. _This will have to do._

He noticed the absence of liquid sound coming from the adjacent room. Sakura was evidently finished with her shower, and he waited impatiently for her to exit so he could free himself from the scum he was sure collected over every inch of his body. He sat on the edge of the bed, clothes twisted in his hands, nervously tapping his foot. It took everything he had to keep Sakura's image out of his head.

He thought of bloody battles he had fought.

_Sakura._

He thought of Lee in his atrocious green leotard doing scissor kicks and pushups, screaming out the glories of youth and hard work.

_Sakura and vanilla._

He imagined his old sensei, Gai, running laps around the training field with his knees raised high and sporting a goofy, toothed grin.

_Sakura and vanilla and rose petals._

It was no use. He couldn't flood her out of his head. _Come on woman, hurry up so I can hide in the shower. _He coughed an exasperated sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, pressed his eyes closed, and increased the pace of his tapping foot.

He was lost in his concentration; he didn't hear the door open, nor did he hear Sakura approach him.

"Neji?" the now clean and vanilla-laced kunoichi asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

Neji jerked, and a little yelp escaped his lips in surprise.

"Are you alright, you seem anxious." She stated.

Neji narrowed his eyes, and pressed his lips together in a straight line. "I'm fine." He managed to say in a low voice, and he shot up and made a b-line for the bathroom, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Sorry, Sakura, I really, _really_ need to get clean." Neji called out as he closed the door.

Neji stepped into the spacious bathroom, and felt the dampness in the air from the steam still floating about. The scent of vanilla was overpowering, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he let his mind have its way. He inhaled deeply, and unbuttoned his shirt slowly, his mind occupied with other matters.

He looked in the mirror, and lifted his hair away from his face, carefully pulling at the thin piece of synthetic skin pressed against his forehead. He peeled it away in one piece, wrapped it in a clean, dry towel, and set it to the side as Shizune had explained two days ago. He stared at the tattoo on his forehead, green and looming. He was almost surprised to see it still there. He frowned and turned away from his reflection. The visions of Sakura still strong in his mind washed out any disdain he felt for the green mark he'd had since he was old enough to walk.

He finished disrobing, and he reached for the knob on the shower, twisted it on, and stepped into the shower, pulled the curtain closed, and let his head hang in the hot downpour. The hot water falling in rivulets down his body and through his hair felt like tiny hands caressing his body, and his senses soaked in the sensation. His body tingled all over, and forbidden visions danced through his head. He reached for the complimentary shampoo marked _him_ and popped the seal. It smelled of citrus and sage, an aroma that emanated manliness. He squeezed the bottle into his hand and rubbed it into his thick locks, working it through the fibers until he was completely marinated in the tantalizing scent. He let the suds flow out of his hair and all over his rippled body, and massaged the overflow into his waiting skin.

Thoroughly clean, he stood there letting the flow of water pound the back of his neck, feeling the tension leave. Visions of a pink haired kunoichi splayed across the screen behind his eyes, and he imagined her hands rubbing his neck instead of the water. He could almost feel her body pressed against his, and could breathe her vanilla air as her hands traced the contours of his body. All the heat in his body travelled south, and he groaned as he began to physically react to the images in his mind. He placed a hand on the far wall of the shower, and leaned his weight into it. _Dammit. _He ground his teeth, as his body continued to send blood to his manhood. He balled his free hand into a fist and struck the wall, hard enough to break the skin of his knuckle, and a tiny stream of blood trickled down the tiled wall. He reached for the knob of the shower and turned it to the coldest setting. He hissed loudly as all heat left the stream, and icicles pricked his heightened senses. He shivered, and drew in labored breaths as goose bumps began to rise over the surface of his body. His blood flow regulated to normal levels again, and he felt confident that he could be in the same room as Sakura again.

Sakura lay on the bed, splayed across its down filled covers like a ragdoll. The silk pajamas she wore caressed her soft skin, and she hummed in delight at all the sensations around her. Her skin still emitted heat from the shower, and the smell of the complimentary vanilla scented soap mixed with the floral aroma. She closed her eyes and let it all soak in, and she rolled over pressing her face into the bed covers. There was another smell. The essence of earth and forest tingled her nose as she inhaled deeply. She buried her face deeper into the soft and warm cloth, realizing that she now lay where he had been. Sight, smell, touch, and sound were all engaged together in a symphony that played a song only Sakura could hear or understand. She saw the shinobi in her mind—staring at her with eyes that could reduce her to a puddle in an instant; she smelled the lingering scent of nature beneath her—reminding her of the passionate moments shared between them; she felt the silk flutter around her limbs like whispers blown against her skin—imagining his face so close to her body that she could feel his breath against her; she heard the water running over the man in the next room, separated from her by a thin wall—causing her to flush red imagining a dripping wet Neji.

_Get a grip on yourself Sakura._

She had let her mind wander too far, too fast. She moved her hands from tucking the blanket around her face, and placed them into her damp hair simultaneously rolling again on her back. She closed her eyes, and rubbed her scalp, massaging away the images in her head. Succumbing to a fierce yawn, she realized how tired she had been.

Sakura, now on her hands and knees, crawled toward the headboard and pulled back the covers that were tightly tucked beneath overstuffed pillows. A few petals fell to the floor as she slipped her tired body beneath the layered sheets and comforter. They felt so soft, and her body sunk into the warmth her body had created, and she shrugged her shoulders tightly against her cheeks pulling the fabric tightly under her chin. She pinched her eyes shut, and the blackness behind her weighted eyelids reigned in her senses, now focused only on the reassurance of approaching slumber. She fell deeper into the bed, and the last thing she noticed was a click from the bathroom door before she drifted into a deep sleep.

Neji walked softly from the open door of the steamed chamber, and peered lazily at the lump in the bed. He quietly approached and gingerly sat on the edge, leaning closer to Sakura in order to verify that she was indeed asleep. He was relieved. After all the trouble he went through to calm himself just moments ago, he wasn't in the mood to remain calm through all her unwitting flirtations. He slid the loosened covers from under his seated body, and swung his legs beneath them, taking care to move as gently as possible. Neji reached for the lamp imbedded in the wall above the bed and clicked it twice before it became dark in the room. He laid his head on his pillow, turned away from Sakura, and released a cleansing breath he had been holding.

Sleep came quickly for Neji, for the first time in a long while. His worries and fears were replaced by dreams of Sakura and rose petals, and the object of his desire—breathing peacefully behind him—warmed him to the core with her presence.

Both ninjas slept soundly and solidly through the night, only to be greeted by sunlight and anticipation for what the days ahead held for them.

But for now, there was only sweet, sweet slumber.

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT! I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED YOUR REVIEWS SO FAR! THEY KEEP ME GOING! XD **


	6. Distractions

**To all my readers: Thank you so much for your comments and faving my story and putting **_**A Change of Pace**_** on your story alert list. I am honored. I apologize that it took SO long to update. The holidays, end of the year inventory at the warehouse I work at, and a BUTTLOAD of overtime, plus finals and registration for the new semester kept me plenty busy. I hope you enjoy it, as I enjoyed writing it. Again, please read and review. I wake up in the mornings wondering what you guys are thinking about the story. It keeps me going. Please don't stop! Oh and btw sorry about any mistakes, don't have a beta yet and the 7****th**** chap will be coming much quicker than this one. **

**Now without further ado, I give you a disclaimer and the sixth installment of the story…**

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**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. IF I DID, I WOULD BE DRINKING MARTINIS SITTING IN A LIMOUSINE NEXT TO AN AMAZINGLY HANDSOME MAN, WEARING A DAMN SEXY DRESS, GETTING READY TO GO TO OUR PENT HOUSE AFTER SEEING SOME ASTRONOMICALLY EXPENSIVE CONCERT FROM A PRIVATE BOOTH… *SIGH, I DIGRESS, BUT ALL THIS TO SAY, I DO NOT OWN IT, AND NEVER WILL…***

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME ADULT LANGUAGE AND SOME SEXUAL CONTENT…BE WARNED :)**

**A CHANGE OF PACE**

**CHAPTER 6: DISTRACTIONS**

Sakura stood in the doorway of a dimly lit room. The air around her felt cool, and it smelled strongly of earth and pine. She felt the slight chill of early morning caress her bare skin. It permeated her pores, and like feather touches, it sent shivers up and down the whole of her. She looked down at her own body, milky and smooth. There was a slight rose kissed color flushing through her chest, and she could feel the tingle; completely comfortable in her own skin. She sighed an audible "hnn" as she gazed from under tilted eyebrows towards the man sitting upright on the bed across the room. He wore only an expression of excitement and awe, as he gazed upon her every curve, and his eyes lingered on the perfect mounds of her breasts and the planes of her stomach. Sakura felt amused; pleased in fact, that the man, who licked his lips expectantly in blatant awe and anticipation, couldn't keep his hands from twitching and his body from shifting nervously under the heavy weight of desire. Sakura placed one foot in front of the other—slowly she calculated each movement and she moved purposefully and sultrily. She let her hips sway—left foot, heel to toe, to the left. The pendulum swayed back—right foot, heel to toe. Each movement took her full weight as she shifted for each sensual, lust filled step. She closed the distance between the anxious man and herself slowly; aching more, with each step, for his touch. It felt as though decades had passed through the ether, between each breath—now hastened with dripping desire, before she finally reached her destination. Her safe harbor, her port of refuge, her anchor reached out his trembling hand unable to wait any longer to feel her skin against his, and a loud noise, much like that of a bell, blasted annoyingly loud from his slightly parted lips.

Sakura sat straight up in the bed, hair disheveled, and eyes still hazed from the sleep she had just been _thoroughly _enjoying. The ringing spilled from the apparatus next to Neji's side of the bed, which still felt warm where he had lain just moments ago. Sakura leaned across the heated sheets, and placed a lazy finger on the knob protruding from the annoying clock and she plopped all her weight onto her chest. _It was a dream? Only a dream. _Sakura lied in that position for a few moments to allow her head to clear and her breath to slow. She couldn't quite recall everything from the dream she had been so rudely ripped from, but she definitely still felt the effects that it had on her body. She could feel the heat set low in her abdomen, and the throbbing between her thighs. Her face heated madly at the connotations of the dream, and she buried her face in the sheets beneath her. They smelled of sage, citrus, and earth. They smelled of Neji. She breathed the heady aroma in deeply, much like she had done the night before, and a flutter skipped in her chest, and a ripple of desire pricked at her core. She rolled over quickly back to her side of the bed and pulled the blankets over her head. Her face was heated now more fierce than ever, and her thighs squeezed tightly together as though she were trying to snuff out a candle between her knees and her hands squeezed tightly against the covers. Sakura let her mind wander again, and her body responded quickly to the thoughts that danced through her head and projected pictures against the screen of her mind's eye. Her breath quickened again, and her pulse matched the pace. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips with a sticky tongue, barely moistening them. Hands that had once desperately clung to cloth began to make their way, reluctantly at first and then urgently toward her silk covered breasts. She cupped them softly, imagining another's hands, _his_ hands, moving over them masterfully. Her sensitive peaks throbbed against the fabric of her top, erect and needy. Her fingers, instruments of relief, frustratingly moved over her hardened pebbles, pink and flushed with the tingle of arousal. She gasped lightly and arched her back against her touch, taking in every sensation greedily. She began to run her hand, slowly, down the plane of her stomach and landing at the intersection of her thighs. Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed the amount of heat and moisture she felt under her fingers. She heard a thud in the shower and a muffled string of obscenities. Her hands shot above the covers, clutching them tightly. She blinked hard and willed her feet and legs to hang off the side of the bed. She threw the blankets off and hissed at the sudden rush of cool air from the room that slid under the covers that she lifted. She shook off the chill and slid forward until her bare feet touched the rough carpet. She sighed, exasperated and embarrassed, and rubbed her eyes. _I can't believe I was about to do that, with _him_ in the other room. _She shook her head incredulously and walked to her suitcase. She pulled out the necessities—shirt, bra, panties, pants, etc., and waited patiently on the end of the bed for Neji to finish his shower. She could still feel her blood pulsing through her body from her aroused state, however; she willed herself to calm down, breathe deeply, and break it down rationally.

Neji stood in the shower, facing the wall that lay flush against the bed in the adjacent room. His dreams had been feverish, forbidden, and completely satisfying the night before. He thought it a cheap trick that his mind played on him when he wanted so badly to not let his thoughts wander. Even now, separated by tile, sheetrock, and paint, the sleeping Sakura invaded his thoughts. The images from his dreams and the thought of the object of his desire sleeping in the other room caused his better judgement to fly out the window. He needed the barrier to be gone. He needed to see her, sleeping, peaceful, unaware.

"Byakugan" he whispered, and immediately his eyes began to pulse with chakra. The wall fell away, and he could see her chakra system clearly. The intricately woven system of energy pulsed with life. He saw the bluish strands of light in each of her extremities. He could make out her legs, and her arms. He saw the beautiful patterns pulse through her abdomen and chest. He felt like he was seeing her for the first time. He gasped as she shifted positions. He held his breath, hoping she was still asleep. She settled again, but her chakra began pulsing more powerfully and erratically. He watched as the blue light began to concentrate in her lower abdomen, and he heard a breathy mewl through the invisible wall. His eyes grew wide in realization. She was dreaming something that she liked very much. Neji smirked as he watched more intently now. Sakura's head rolled side to side, slowly, as even more chakra built up in her core, like a tightly coiled snake preparing to strike. Then a loud bell broke the sound of his breathing, and nearly sent him through the roof. He regained his composure as he watched the blue lighted Sakura move to silence the annoying clock, and rolled back over on her side of the bed after a long pause on his. He nearly fell when he saw her hands begin to wander over her body; slowly, deliberately they moved until they found the point of the coiled chakra. He disabled his ability and stepped backwards. His elbow swung to his side and caught the shampoo bottle, sending it slamming into his foot. "Shit!" he yelled out, and immediately grimaced at his sudden outburst. He bent down to rub his foot, throbbing from the impact of the half full bottle, and gingerly picked up the missile and placed it back on the small ledge. He closed his eyes and shook his head, cursing under his breath at his distasteful lapse of judgment, and twisted the shower knob to the cut off the flow of water. He stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and finished his preparation for the day ahead, still unable to wipe the images of his partner from his mind.

Sakura laid there for a few moments, allowing her thoughts to gather, and began to rationalize her present state of arousal, and the guilt that followed. The dream had enhanced her senses above what would be called 'normal' and when she had awakened, with her senses still intensely pricked, her nose in _his_ sheets sent her over the edge. It wasn't her fault she faltered, only her body's natural response. She knew all of this, and played the monologue over and over in her head on how it was just human nature, and she was doing nothing wrong. But a sense of embarrassment still resided in her mind, and she buried her face in the ball of clothes clutched in her arms. She whimpered softly in the cloth, and rocked back and forth unconsciously. Her insecureties and doubts flooded her head, and she felt lost; utterly and solitarily. Not necessarily did she feel doubt about the morning so far, but about her feelings all together; of Sasuke, of Neji, of the Konoha Hospital. Every stray thought racked her brain, and she fell backwards on the bed, clothes clutched to her breasts. She exhaled loudly, closed her eyes, and let herself fall deeper and deeper into the dark pool of her mind; much like a meditating monk, she remained absolutely still. She became completely unaware of anything outside of herself just as Neji opened the door.

Neji stepped through the doorway, gingerly, carefully, and quietly. Of course Sakura couldn't see him yet, but he definitely saw her, and he stared.

She looked like a doll, thrown carelessly on the edge of the bed by a selfish child. Legs dangled from the edge, and clothes were strewn across her chest beneath folded arms. He looked carefully, and he saw light dance at the corner of her eye. _Was she crying? _He felt the urge to rush to her side and comfort her, but the desire to observe her for a moment longer reigned at the moment. He watched the rhythmic ascent and descent of her chest, and a tiny streak shimmer down the side of her face. Her lips moved nearly unnoticeably, as though her mind was in another world, and her body lay unconsciously responding to her thoughts. He had enough of watching, he needed to be near her. He walked slowly toward the rag-doll Sakura, and now stood beside the bed, looming over her like a shade tree on a hot day. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and gazed up into his, searching for something, it seemed. Her eyes glistened with new moisture, and they darted between both of Neji's eyes with a look that Neji couldn't quite define. Confusion, anxiety, fear? No, none of those. Her brow furrowed a bit, and she swallowed. She released the clothes at her bosom, and slowly began to reach a hand towards Neji's face, now bent forward observing her. His eyes focused on her hand and apprehension began to well up in his chest. Before he could pull away, or say anything, the knuckles of the back of her hand caressed a few strands of hair that had rebelliously fallen from behind his ear. At the feel of the strands on her skin, it was as if something snapped within her mind, and her eyes widened. She drew her hand back to her chest, and just as quickly drew in a hissing breath. Her face flooded with heat and blood, and she sat up hastily, and jumped off the end of the bed, muttered a quick apology and ran to the bathroom. She slammed the door.

Neji stood there with a gaping mouth. _What just happened. Did I miss something._ He shook his head and stood there for a few beats still dumbfounded. _Does she know I was watching her? _He clenched his teeth, and shook his head. There was no way she would know that he was watching her. Maybe she could have sensed the chakra usage, but he could have been looking around town as far as she would know. He settled on that reasoning, sighed, and walked over to the luggage and rummaged around his suit case for a suitable romp-around-town-like-a-tourist shirt. He found what he needed, a blue shirt with white and tan floral print all over. They were large flowers, and despite the cliché that all flowers are 'girly' this shirt exuded a bit of funloving cockiness that Neji thought would fit the role perfectly. He pulled a white ribbed tank over his head, and slid the silky shirt over his back and arms, leaving it unbuttoned. He looked in the mirror, his giveaway mark was covered well by the prosthetics he painstakingly reapplied this morning. He looked closer in the mirror, and gazed at the white eyes staring back at him. He felt a little uneasy about going out without some kind of eyewear, or something. Maybe Shizune packed something for him since she seemed to be so well prepared. How could she possibly overlook this detail? How could any of them for that matter? He was so used to it, having the pupil-less eyes inherited by all Hyuuga, that it didn't cross his mind at all that it would be a problem. Obviously it would be a problem here, and he began to feel panic slither up his spine. Of course he never panicked, never. He frowned, pursed his lips together, and swallowed the fear like he has done so many times before, making him look quite angry and sincerely unapproachable at the same time. _Is that how I look when I am freaking out? Damn, I am scary. _His eyes dropped to his thin line mouth, and his lips curled up slightly at the thought of everyone at home acting like he was some bastard all the time. _So they think I am some unsympathetic prick who doesn't care about anything but himself, huh? What a shame, they don't know that I am scared shitless at that moment._ He chuckled inwardly at the irony of it all. _Is that what Sakura thinks? _His countenance fell at the thought of his lovely partner thinking such nonsense about him. But he shook his head and realized that she showed no signs of irritation or discomfort thus far, and there isn't any reason why she should now. He recalled the receptionist and the young man who helped with their bags. They didn't seem to notice. But then with the face he made when he is nervous, it seems no one wanted to look him in the eyes. He recalled that they never did. _Well, I need a nicer face to get people to talk to me if I'm going to get answers later, and I need not-white eyes so when they search my eyes, I can be confident. I sure as hell am not going to act like a blind man the whole time. _The thought of a 'nicer' face made him feel a bit hypocritical. Being it was for the mission, the feeling fled as quickly as it came. Neji moved to kneel at his luggage and carefully began to feel around for anything that might have been something for his eyes. He resorted to pulling clothes out and spilling them on the floor. He was amazed, truly amazed, at how much Shizune really had packed in the meager case. He finally found something. It was a small package, much like a packet of sugar, but larger, and plastic. He felt it between his fingers, and pulled it out from the bottom of the bag. Once he fully set his eyes upon the square pack, and the raised circle at its center, he immediately gasped, quite loudly; so much that he shot his eyes toward the bathroom door and held his breath for fear of being discovered. He blushed madly and fervently set the package back underneath the sty that was now his suitcase. He hung his head and felt his pulse beating at his temples, in his chest, and in his fingertips resting lightly on the leather edge. He struggled to regain his composure, and with a final deep breath he dove back in to find a more appropriate form of _protection_; as in something to protect his identity. He felt a little irritated at Shizune's _planning ahead_ and her inability to properly prioritize. Finally he found a zipper in the fabric of the case, and quickly unzipped the pocket, hesitatingly. He reached into the pocket and found a plastic bag, and an attached envelope that you would normally see on a gift plant. This he quickly opened and read its contents. It was a letter from Shizune.

_I had almost forgot about your eyes, and you were already nearly at the gates when I realized… well in a nut shell I slipped this to your driver and had him hide it in your luggage, just for kicks. _

_Shizune_

Neji frowned and grunted irritably. _For kicks? _He could imagine her sitting next to the Hokage, giggling like little girls at the image of him, panicking, which he never did; never.

Neji disdainfully tossed the letter and envelope aside, and reached for the small plastic bag. Upon opening the bag, he sighed relief and pulled out the small box. _This has got to be it. _He then proceeded to clumsily open the box, and pulled out a pair of sleek sunglasses. _Sunglasses?! _Still clutching the eyewear in his fist, he raised both hands to his head and raked angrily across his scalp.

"Ahh!" he growled, and reared his hand back to throw the contraptions across the room, and thought better of it being that it was his only option as of now. _Shit. _He didn't like the thought of having to hide behind lenses everytime he went out, but knew he had no choice. _Blind man it is, dammit. _Now he could see Hokage and apprentice snickering in delight at this new development. He obviously couldn't rely on them solely as sun protection. How would he explain wearing them at night? He went through different scenarios in his head trying to rationalize why he didn't have to wear them _constantly_. But he fell short on excuses, sighed, and tried them on for size. The room suddenly went darker, and tinted slightly green. He stood and moved toward the mirror, admiring how they didn't look half bad. The lenses curved slightly upward at the outer edges and the stem from earhook to frame was thick and gave the illusion of wrapping around his head, completely covering his temples. _Nice. _Neji began to think a little more clearly, and decided that glasses were the better choice for the mission, regardless of what they did for his ego, or rather _didn't do_. He could easily use Byakugan and not freak anyone out by bulging veins and pulsing eyes. He thought about using his special abilities in public places and in crowds. He imagined the bustling people bumping shoulder to shoulder, exchanging smiles and sometimes scowls, and couples holding hands or walking arm in arm. He knew that Kabuto was among the plethora of warm bodies and most likely he would be incognito. The last thing Neji needed was a cornered medic nin spying him from across a cobblestone way while activating his not-so-subtle ability. He was going to have to be careful. Very careful. The glasses would help, tremendously. He hoped that was all he had to worry about, but somewhere deep in his gut he worried. _Ah! But who would suspect a helpless blind man? A blind man led by the hand by his lovely pink haired wife. _Neji smirked at the thought of having to say that loud enough for people to hear.

"Wife," he said just above a whisper. He felt a tingle in his cheeks and didn't have to see a mirror to know that his face was a shade redder. This frustrated him. If he was to undergo the scrutiny of the general public, he needed to pull off the role of blind husband without having to act like a prepubescent teen who just heard someone say _sex _out loud. He needed to focus. He needed to center himself.

Neji flew to the window and threw the curtains open and swung open the shutters, letting the morning light free to enter the room where he stood. He dropped to his knees and assumed a proper kneeling position taught to him by his uncle. He closed his eyes, only seeing flecks of orange and pink against the blackness of his lids with every shimmer of the dew damp leaves across the way. He laid his hands, palm down, atop his thigh—barely grazing his knee with his long fingers. He inhaled the warm air rushing in to meet him. He exhaled slowly, allowing his entire body to feel the emptiness of his lungs. Air once again rushed heavily through his throat, and into the hollow of his heaving chest. The peace, with every controlled breath, that trickled into his consciousness, first by tiny drops—cooling his flustered inner self, then slowly increasing its pace to a drizzle, felt like a powerful, soothing attar to his soul. He was aware of everything around him, and everything within him. He sensed the way his breath reverberated off the walls with a hollow timbre, and off the carpet and bed like wind through a chick's downy fluff. He could hear the steady, strong, powerful rhythm of his own heart. Each thump and thrum sending oxygenated peace to every cell of his body, relaxing him steadily but slowly. He pulled his shoulders back and expanded his chest to take another draught of the cleansing air, allowing his lungs to sting from the overextension. He held it, drinking in the sensation of the now numbing pain. Slowly; deliberately he exhaled. Too slowly, in fact; any ordinary, untrained eye could barely see the progression of such a stretched form return to its normal shape. My how his lungs screamed for quick release—ached, begged, writhed. But his heart maintained its hoof-beat rhythm, like warhorses beating out the thick loam of the battlefield beneath them; controlled by the will of another. He listened intently to the beat, letting it be the only sensation he allowed himself the luxury of experiencing. The screaming lungs, the diamond shards of light against his closed eyes, the feel and sound of the room around him—all irrevocably absorbed into the one vital sensation. He withdrew himself completely from any extrinsic awareness; all that existed now was the very first sign of life he ever experienced: pulse; life sustaining pulse.

All anxiety, fear, and stress fell away from him like shackles. The simplicity and insurmountable power of a function most take for granted converted Neji into liquid serenity, rather than the jumbled maze of nerves he had carelessly allowed himself to morph into these past couple of days.

Like a hypnotist's snap, Sakura's presence in the room pulled him from his purchase on stillness, and he sighed in resignation.

"You ok?" Sakura prodded, barely above a whisper. She wore a concerned look on her face.

Neji nodded a reply, effortlessly lifted himself off the floor, and silently walked past her at a brisk pace. Her eyes followed him intently; guardedly, but completely in control of her thoughts—much to her delight.

An unbearably hot shower always provided her the tranquility she required at the end of a day, and it did wonders for her now. The boiling heat and the billowing steam, therapeutic sedations, hushed her errant thoughts and reigned in her emotional wanderlust. Sakura couldn't quite put a finger on exactly what it was about burning heat rushing over the surface of her skin that calmed everything else; she was thankful regardless. The voice of searing heat drowned out the voice of indiscretion. She could still feel the heat from her extended shower emanating from her silk skin, but the close proximity of Neji's hurried pass caused tiny air currents to swirl over her exposed areas; cooling her to a faint shiver—a response she let go unnoticed.

"Found something." Neji stated not looking up from the dark contraption he held in his steady hands.

Sakura shifted her weight slightly and unconsciously cocked her head to one side effecting curiosity.

Neji turned his back to Sakura and began to fidget. He put the contraptions to his face and adjusted them to fit properly. Sakura waited impatiently, lightly tapping her foot in anticipation.

"Don't laugh, but this is all I have for now. Just…don't…laugh." Neji affected.

Neji turned around, facing Sakura fully and sighed. Sakura's eyes went wide, and a Cheshire grin splayed across her steam heated face.

"Wow." She breathed. "I like them. They look really good on you. Where'd you get them?"

"Just something I found in the luggage, after much searching." Neji nodded to the mess he had left from the scavenger hunt Shizune had sent him on. Neji continued, "well, I realized that your pink hair could be passed off as a great dye job, while my eyes can only be categorized as two things: Hyuuga or blind. Being that I am not blind, the only obvioius answer would be Hyuuga. But I understand that not many people know who we are, but the ones that count, such as our elusive Kabuto, would recognize me at once. So," Neji held up the sunglasses in his hand, "these are the best Shizune could come up with, and I will have to act blind." He said this with a slight pout, and it made the corners of Sakura's mouth turn up slightly.

Sakura placed a delicate finger on her bottom lip in contemplation.

"What are you thinking?" Neji asked.

"I might be able to help you out dear." She said emphasizing the last word.

Neji raised his eyebrows in impatient curiosity at her playful look.

"And how is that?" Neji said, unconsciously twirling the glasses around his index finger.

"Do you remember when I had to go incognito over to Kakashi's place for a mock mission for the Hokage? The one where I had to stealthfully sneak out his Juunin vest?" Sakura didn't wait for Neji's answering nod.

"Well, not only did I have to disguise my smell, but also my look—just in case he got a glimpse of me. I used my medical abilities to change, temporarily, the pigmentation in my eyes to turn them from green to brown. It's a very tricky procedure, and I've never tried it on anyone but myself, but if you are willing I can see what I can do to add some color to yours." She smiled in triumph.

"I don't know" Neji began, "Will it affect my ability? Or will it make me blind, for _real?" _Neji worried his bottom lip.

"There is a small chance that you could feel some pain but definitely not chance of blindness. The only pain would be temporary, being that I am not touching the nerves, just the pigmentation of the irises, or in your case, the lack thereof. It would be much like a tan, but instead of the skin, it's the eyes." She kept her smile, relishing in her spectacular abilities being of use in this mission.

Neji considered the option, and felt that it would bemuse him to see his eyes in a different shade, if not color. "Hmm, I'm still unconvinced." He mumbled.

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh. "You want me to do it to myself first so you can see there isn't any danger, only a chance that it wouldn't work. What's the problem. Don't you trust your partner?" She asked, with a tilt of her head forward, and the widest puppy-dog eyes.

"Don't look at me that way?" He said with a scrunch of the skin of his brow.

"Well?" she began, "do you?"

Neji nodded in resignation, and spoke softly. "Be gentle, I pride in my eyes."

"Gentle as a dove, darling." She replied.

Sakura walked over to the bed and quickly smoothed the bedclothes so that Neji could lie comfortable atop the soft platform. She motioned for him to follow, and reluctantly, he moved toward her direction.

"Lie down, face up." She instructed.

Neji knelt on the edge of the bed and slowly rested horizontally across the bed, head comfortably nestled in a pillow. He could not relax. He stiffened, like a wooden plank, and balled his hands in tight fists.

"Relax," Sakura breathed, "No need to worry."

"I can't." Neji growled through clenched teeth.

"You asked for it." Sakura sighed through a half smile.

Neji's eyes went wide as sakura lifted a leg over his torso and straddled him setting her weight on his stomach. He felt hot under her warm body and the heat flooded through his entire body, collecting in his face. He looked away not wanting her to see his slight flush.

Sakura grabbed his wrists, seeming not to notice his coy behavior, and lifted them above his head. Neji complied, wordless, at her smooth movements. She reached down to where her thighs were and lifted the hem of his tank, and with a liquid movement pulled it from under his weight, slid it up his body and over his head, removing it and it's overshirt counterpart completely. Neji's chest heaved in heavy breathing and pounding pulse.

"Sakura, wait" Neji began.

Sakura breathily shushed him and placed a warm finger to his pink lips with a gentle shake of her head and a sly smile. "Trust me" she whispered, letting her finger linger on his parted lips longer than needed.

Sakura looked down the length of his torso and took in the beautiful landscape of every plane and dip of his well defined chest and torso. She stifled a shudder, and focused again on his face. A face that looked into her own with a look of bewilderment and expectation. She placed her open hands, palms flat, over his chest and concentrated closing her eyes.

She collected warm green chakra in her palms and fingertips, and pressed her hands firmly into his muscles.

The heat was excruciatingly inviting, and Neji wanted to lean into her hands to feel the comforting flow more fully. But he couldn't move. He had no control of his motor functions, and a slight panic began to race through his mind. "shhh" Sakura whispered again, pressing deeper, and spreading her fingers wider, sending the heat further through his trunk and into his back and neck. The chakra wove through every muscle fiber, like a thread, created a tapestry of heat and relaxation.

Neji's panic abated as he felt the tension in his back and chest flow out of him like a bucket too full of water. He sighed, and as he exhaled he felt his entire body fall into a deep uselessness, as though it was asleep while he was yet fully aware. "That's it" Sakura encouraged, "Let it go."

She lessened the pressure and amount of chakra being administered and removed her hands completely from his skin. She rubbed her fingers together in preparation of her next procedure, and moved slowly to his face.

Neji, at this point, was unable to move, but he was so relaxed now that he really didn't care. He was totally at ease now, and she could pull out a kunai and aim it at his heart and it wouldn't phase him in the slightest.

Sakura placed her hands in his hair, and raked them gently across his scalp allowing his strands to carress her fingers and between them as she brushed the chocolate locks away from his face. She pressed her fingers beneath his eyes, triggereing his tear ducts, causing them to secrete saline. His eyes maintained a constant glisten with moisture rich protectant necessary for the impending procedure. He eyes remained open, so relaxed and moistened that there wasn't a need to blink. She then cupped the sides of his head in her hands, her thumbs hovering over his wide eyes. She concentrated chakra again into her thumb pads and narrowed the distance between them and his irises.

The heat on Neji's eyes was nearly unbearable, but in his relaxed state, he couldn't bring himself to be anything but at peace and complete putty in her hands. He was thankful for the moisture continually flowing over his hot eyes cooling where the chakra heat had evaporated the pool previously collected there. The urge to blink was replaced by a spurt of fluid again and again.

Sakura's lips pursed, and her brow furrowed in intense consentration as her chakra flowed without break or fluctuation. She remained that way for what seemed like ages, but lasted only a few moments. She slowly decreased the flow, as she lifted her thumbs away, at a snail's pace. She moved her thumbs below his eyes again, and gave a quick shot of chakra again to return his tear ducts to normal operation once more. She looked into his eyes, and smiled enthusiastically at her handiwork.

Neji watched her expressions, and could only guess by the expressions flitting across her countenance that there was some measure of success in the procedure. Relaxation slowly began to morph into excitement, and though his body was reluctant to move—at his command he forced it into submission and brought his hands to his eyes, feeling for any damage. There was none, and he sighed in relief.

He blinked a few times, residual moisture rolling over the lip of his closed eyelids, and felt the sandpapery discomfort.

"It's going to be uncomfortable for about twenty minutes, but eventually you'll forget you even had anything done. So don't jump when you look in the mirror. That would make you look crazy." Sakura explained with a light giggle, shaking her body still straddling him.

Neji looked down at her clothed legs and back up to her awaiting gaze.

"I would say it is a success, but I'll let you be the judge of that." She smiled in reply to his questioning look, and she lifted herself from her position, kneeling beside him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go see, go see." She said excitedly.

Neji swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and with a grunt pushed his weight onto his legs. He faltered a bit under the strain, and drunkenly staggered to the bathroom. He felt along the wall, maintaining his balance as he flicked on the light, and found himself centered at the sink, facing the mirror. Sakura had followed him, and stood a good couple of paces behind him, anticipating his reaction.

"Open your eyes, silly" Sakura urged.

Neji complied, slowly, not sure what to expect. He pried his eyes open, millimeter by millimeter until they were staring back at him.

"Oh my god, Sakura, how did you…" Neji began, touching the skin below his eyes, as though he couldn't take in the unbelievable sight without an affirming feel.

Sakura leaned against the wall opposite the gaping Neji. Arms crossed and mouth set in a confident smile, she watched as he stared in disbelief. She could hardly believe it worked so well herself. Sure, she had success before, but that was with her own eyes, and she had color to work with. Neji had zero pigment in his eyes, and she was not fully confident it would work. Obviously it did, otherwise the normally stoic Neji wouldn't be so out of character at the moment.

Sakura walked toward the preoccupied man before her and placed a hand, gently, on his shoulder. She squeezed and pulled down slightly and toward her so that he would turn around. Someone had to distract him from his stupor.

"I take it that you like the results." She giggled as Neji reluctantly tore his eyes away from his reflection to look at her. She looked back into his now tawny eyes. They were still slightly red around the edges from the irritation, but full of life and absolutely beautiful. She thought his milk white eyes were bottomless, but the burnt gold irises held her gaze unlike any other's eyes could. She had been afraid that it would accentuate the lack of a pupil, but the pigment spread over the entire iris-pupil area and the color deepened at the center, creating an illusion of pupils. It was truly an amazing sight, and she had created it.

"I…uh…" Neji tried to speak, but resigned to just nodding his head.

Sakura, still lost in his eyes, smiled weakly and attempted to put some space between them. She stepped backwards and caught her heel on the bathroom rug, tumbling backwards. She winced and braced herself for a rough landing but gasped in surprise as two warm arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her upright.

She opened her eyes and tawny eyes were inches from her emeralds. She felt his light warm breath on her face, and it smelled of vanilla and mint. Her heart raced within her, and her eyes couldn't look away. Her arms, pinned to her sides by Neji's firm hold on her body, felt like useless strands of twine—unable to move. She didn't want to move. She wanted to lay her face against his chest and breathe in his scent and soak up his warmth. She had never felt so safe, and she didn't want to be let go. She didn't want to be let down, not again.

Neji stared into her green eyes, wide and bewildered. He acted out of instinct when she fell backwards, and, at the moment, he was glad he did. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. He felt her heat against his arms and pulled her tightly against his chest. She felt so limp in his grip that he was afraid that if he _did_ let her go, she would fall into a puddle on the ground. This powerful ninja, this talented ninja; how did she appear to be so frail? How did she affect him so powerfully? These were questions he could not answer himself, and just let himself fall into her. He pulled her fully against him, and she buried her face into his bare chest, and inhaled deeply. She hummed as she exhaled and he could feel the vibrations against the hollow of his ribcage. Shivers, tiny shivers, wormed their way up the backs of his legs and arms settling in his spine. Sakura laid her full weight into him, and rested her ear flush against his racing heartbeat.

"Don't let me go." Sakura mumbled as she closed her eyes and focused on Neji's steady beating heart. She heard his heart burst into a rhythmic drumming on her ear as she said this, and his arms constricted tighter around her, nearly crushing her. She exhaled against his warm skin and closed her eyes, soaking in the safety. The safety she craved from another. The safety _he _refused to give, instead desired the companionship of revenge. She remembered the tears of that night _he_ left her; alone and cold, in order to pursue a dream, a nightmare. She inhaled the comfort of the arms around her now, and choked back the tears, a futile attempt. The tears spilled out of her tightly squeezed eyelids and fell like broken glass against the heaving chest beneath her hot cheek.

"I won't. I promise that I won't until you ask me to." Neji's face was now buried in Sakura's still damp locks as he spoke those words. The feeling of her hair against his face, the warmth of her scalp, and the smell of the rich vanilla mingled with the lingering scent of lavender relaxed his hold a bit and she shifted against him more fully. Her head pressed deeper into his chest, and her hands slipped from under his clutch and she rested her palms against his stomach. The pressure she placed against him nearly sent him backwards. He was thankful that the sink and counter were there behind him to support his weight as he supported hers. Her hands scorched his skin, leaving him feeling the heat clear through his core to his back. He looked down and saw the green light emanating from them, and he scrunched his brow wondering why she would feel the need to administer medical jutsu at that moment.

Sakura heard Neji's promise, and felt his hot breath against her scalp. She pushed harder into his chest, not wanting the moment to end, and she felt him shift backwards and his grip loosen. She took the chance and placed her hands against his stomach. She nearly gasped when she felt the scar. The battle with that sound ninja that left Neji writhing nearly three years ago; she wasn't as talented then and the wound left scarring. She placed her hands on the scar and focused all her concentration on the rough tissue, searching for any lingering pain. She found no internal damage, and inwardly thanked herself for being good enough to at least leave him in working order back then. She also found confused eyes looking down at her when she chose to look up from her concentration. Beautiful, searching, and bewildered eyes stared deep into her soul. She knew why they were questioning her, but she could feel so many deeper, underlying questions bleeding through the surface.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make the scar go away. I just wasn't ready to fully heal you when you came to me those years ago." Sakura explained, locked in his gaze.

Neji's eyes softened, and creased slightly with a barely recognizable smile.

"Oh, that? It doesn't even hurt." He nonchalantly brushed the subject away. Then recognition hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Wait, it was you that patched me up that day I nearly died?" He asked, his eyes once soft now wide and searching again.

Sakura nodded.

"When they told me that it was you who had been there to help with the process, I only guessed that you were there just handing tools and fetching water and…" he didn't finish, but instead he pushed her weight away from his body. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face the mirror, and he stood behind her facing the same mirror. He gazed at her reflection, and her reflection gazed at his. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head. His golden eyes locked with her green and he spoke, barely above a breathy whisper.

"Thank you."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. The way that Neji had spoken those words, those two words…

Sakura had heard those words so many times working at the hospital and she always replied with a simple nod or a heartfelt _you're welcome._ But there was only one time that the words were spoken that left her feeling empty. Those words meant _good-bye and I don't ever want to see you again_ when they were spoken by…him. Now; now they were spoken to her by someone who made her feel so safe and warm and full. Now those words were spoken; instead of feeling empty and afraid, she felt grateful and appreciated and _not_ alone.

She stared into Neji's eyes, and began to cry all over again.

Neji moved one of his encircling arms and rested his hand on her wet cheek, and brushed away a rolling tear from her chin before it fell. He watched as the wounded kunoichi leaned back into his torso and rolled her head onto his open palm. Her sobs had quelled to mere sniffles now, and she breathed more evenly into his tear soaked hand. Her hand covered the back of his and held it to her face. She pressed it firmly against her heated cheek and inhaled deeply only to let out a massive sigh. He could hear the relief in her release, and it irked him to no end that she had been so constricted up to this point. She had been in so much pain. He hated that Sasuke even more now, seeing the effects of his immaturity and selfishness on his cherry blossom, on his partner. He hated him already for creating such havoc among the teams and panic in the city at his sudden abandonment. Because of that bastard, he was part of a rescue mission with a team that suffered at the hands of rogue ninjas that Sasuke entered allegiance with willingly. Now, his partner, his sweet vanilla and lavender scented Sakura, his tear soaked and frail cherry blossom was falling apart at the mere memory of his betrayal. He would never forgive him. He would never forgive him for hurting his friends and his city. He was glad that he was chosen for this mission, now more than ever. He had a chance to chase after a man who was pivotal to Sasuke's treason. He would exact justice, and he would make Sakura a part of it instead of alienating her for the sake of it. He wouldn't hurt her like that idiot did. He swore to himself at that moment—where two bodies stood gazing at their reflections, basking in comfort, solace, and concideration—that he would never leave her bereft of safety and acceptance. From that point on, he would be her partner—on and off of the mission field. She gained a lifelong guard and confidant, and she didn't even realize it yet. He looked back at the reflection and his eyes fell upon questioning teary eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I am trying to rationalize how anyone could treat you so poorly." Neji replied, turning her around again to face him.

He embraced her in a heartfelt hug, and this time she returned the motion. She wrapped her arms around his muscular torso and squeezed so that her body molded against his. He gave one final reassuring squeeze and pushed her away gently. He looked into her eyes and spoke firmly and gently.

"We need to complete our mission, and we can't as long as we are standing in this bathroom." He brushed a few strands of rebellious hair away from her disappointed eyes. Her pout was adorable, and he wanted to touch the bottom lip she was now worrying with her teeth. Instead he turned away, grabbed her hand and walked her back to the bedroom. She followed reluctantly at first, but eventually she let go of his light grip and took the hint.

"Indeed. We have a ninja to spy on and we can't as long as we're holed up in here, lovely as it may be." She spoke with a sigh and a squaring of her shoulders.

She glanced at the clock, and she was amazed that three hours had passed since her rude awakening that morning.

At that, they both busied themselves with accessorizing and make-up and scrutinizing themselves in the mirror.

Neji re-clothed himself with his tank and floral print shirt. He slicked his hair back into a low pony-tail and put on his fashionable sunglasses. His jeans and sandals (which he had found only moments ago while trying to tidy up the mess he made of his suitcase) looked surprisingly convincing. He looked like a tourist, and he had Shizune and Sakura to thank for it. He smiled, faintly, and Sakura caught it.

"You like it don't you?" Sakura asked, but made it sound more like a statement of fact rather than an inquiry.

Neji didn't reply, but merely cleared his throat and managed a characteristic smirk in her direction.

"Well, _I _like it." She stated, and moved beside him to do a last minute assessment of herself in the mirror he was using.

She brushed the fabric of her bright green sleeveless shirt smooth against her stomach, and made sure the tail of it lay properly against the seat of her khaki capris. She shook her head lightly to make sure her hair wouldn't fall out of its messy bun of pink curls. Satisfied that her tresses were locked into place, and her garb and make-up were up to par, she walked away from the mirror, and smiled that she her sandals matched Neji's. She had rummaged in her luggage once she saw that Neji had found some in hopes of finding her own pair. Obviously she found a pair, and it thrilled her that she wouldn't have to endure any more pain from those evil stilettos. As a finishing touch, she placed the gold and diamond ring on her left hand and tucked a fake I.D. and a credit card in her back pocket.

Neji watched as Sakura made her last few preparations and a lump rose in his throat as he placed the gold band on his left hand after being reminded to do so by watching her do it. He shoved a wallet containing his I.D., credit cards, beautiful photographs of Sakura and some loose cash into his back pocket. He cracked his neck by tilting his head to one side swiftly, he shook the anticipation off through his hands, and walked over to the prepared kunoichi and grabbed her hand.

"Are you ready?" he asked as they stood in front of the door, key in hand.

Sakura nodded, and both ninjas, now husband and wife to the outside world, walked through the doors and into the hallway.


	7. Motives

**THESE CHARACTERS DON'T BELONG TO ME, I JUST BORROW THEM FOR SOME PLAYTIME ******

**Sorry for not updating. I know I've said that before. But after a long wait here is another update (no rhyme intended). Hope you enjoy, and I will **_**try**_** to get more out sooner than I have been. Thanks for your patience and all your wonderful comments. **

**-MSH**

**A Change of Pace Chapter 7 - Motives**

The walk from room to elevator to lobby to street was a silent trek, as both partners were quite apprehensive about the whole posing-as-a-couple act. Thankfully, their training as ninjas—which included much practice in illusions and deception—kicked in as soon as their feet touched cobblestone walkway. Her arm hooked around his and even their strides matched in pace. She looked up into his sunglass laden face and smiled a love struck smile and hugged his arm to her side as she shrugged a giddy squeal out. He looked down at her and smiled in response.

They were now a couple. No one could tell otherwise. Their worlds revolved around each other and it showed in their every cloying motion. Even other couples would pass by as they walked along the main drag and congratulate them. It was so obvious that it make Sakura giddy at the success of their act.

"What exactly is our plan?" Sakura asked through a cookie-cutter smile as another couple nodded in their direction.

Neji returned the couple's greeting with a nod, and wrapped his now free arm around Sakura's back and pulled her closer. She matched his stride and, with their close proximity, managed not to lose her balance.

"Get a feel for the town, as a warm-up at least. Keep our eyes and ears open, maybe there'll be leads by just eavesdropping." Neji spoke while looking straight ahead, seeming to be comfortable in conversation with his pretend-wife.

"Well, I guess we should start with finding somewhere to eat. Neither of us had breakfast, and it is fast approaching midday. Find somewhere busy, somewhere we could blend in and hear a lot of conversations." Sakura started perusing the sides of the street where she and Neji walked, making note of the flux of crowds in and out of shops and diners.

The cobblestones, the color of amber and rust—dotted by sanguine brick and sepia quartz—felt quite odd beneath her feet. The shapes and sizes varied and the texture of each capriciously laid stone felt smooth from overuse. Sakura was glad for her impeccable balance, and for Neji's. His hand now resting on her waist seemed to steady her even further. She thought nothing of it as she drank in the scenery with thirsty eyes and let each detail burn into her memory. Each lamp post had wrought iron cords twisting around one another up to the base of a glass casing. No flame burned within the transparent panes, but twilight would beckon the golden glow she had seen the night before.

She and Neji walked twenty paces between each lamp, making the spacing perfect for night walks. Just enough light to see your way, but just enough darkness for a couple to hide in a shadow somewhere for some impromptu alone-time, and created the perfect opportunity for a predator to pounce on any unsuspecting prey.

More specifically, it was perfect for Kabuto. She would tuck that little observation away for future reference.

"Well, which place looks good to you?" Neji broke her thoughtful trance as he overlooked the bustling crowds.

Sakura joined him focusing on the crowd he was currently perusing. She gazed upon the various shapes and sizes of the people moving about and her attention fell upon a quaint café tucked away on the corner of the street ahead. It was a small brick edifice with little tables and chairs and oversized parasols dotting the patio at the entrance. _Aishte No Motto_ was written in elaborate text across the two tinted windows. Elaborate frills of pink and red decorated the awnings over the windows.

Throngs of couples, arm in arm, smiled and laughed and exchanged meaningful nods to one another as some entered while others left. All the other buildings along the street looked fairly similar. Brick exterior, tinted windows, outdoor seating, romantic music, delectable aromas, and apparently contented couples graced all the shops and eating establishments—just like _Aishte No Motto. _

The one thing, in Sakura's opinion, that differentiated this place from the rest was the constant flow of clientele. There was something that drew in the crowds, and she was dying to find out what it was, and her stomach was matching her curiosity with its rumbling hunger.

"Let's follow them." Sakura said, pointing a slender finger toward the long line inching its way inside the enchanting café.

Neji and Sakura moved quickly to stake their claim on a place in line and smiled at the couple ahead of them. Music, live music, trailed out from the open doors and swept across the street and seemed to fill every corridor with melody. The notes from a piano dueled with one another then intertwined creating an entrancing sound.

Sakura felt lost in the liquid sound and could only manage responses to Neji's simple questions with nods and muffled affirmations.

Neji looked at the woman at his side, beautiful and completely lost in the ambiance of the place. He had to be careful, for he felt the draw of the town as well and he didn't want any more distractions than he already had to deal with.

One of which was standing perfectly still at his side.

He stopped trying to communicate with her a while ago since she deserved to be lost for a little while. At least it was safe to do so at the moment. She might not get the chance again, why not indulge a little. So he let her.

While she stood in her trance, Neji looked ahead at the slowly diminishing line. He scanned each face that turned his way, looking for distinguishing features.

None of the men and women in the line looked like their target, so he settled for looking for suspicious characters. None piqued his ninja senses; this disturbed him slightly, but he knew that it wouldn't be that easy—wish as he might.

All the faces wore expressions of delight, expectation, adoration, and joy. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale—since when does an entire group of people, who don't know one another, get along so effortlessly? Too good to be true, at least that was how it felt to him.

He would wait until they could sit down before he made anymore judgments; conversations speak more than expressions. He couldn't wait to find out what these people were really up to.

Sakura let herself flow with the music and overall atmosphere of the area. She felt like kelp reeling with each swell in the ocean. For the first time in a very long time she felt tranquil. Beside the person she was quickly growing attached to, in front of a café meant for people she thought only existed in gushy romance stories, under the influence of some of the most beautiful music she ever heard—she momentarily forgot the mission and lost herself in the moment.

Her body moved automatically as the line shortened.

A face flashed before her face, and recognition snapped her out of her hypnosis. She stiffened, so quickly and abruptly that it alarmed Neji.

"What is it?" he inquired in hushed tones.

Her eyes focused on the man sitting at the piano just inside the doors she was now only three couples away from. The man that was casting such an encapsulating spell upon all within earshot, the man that they were sent to tail, the man that helped steal her teammate from her was within reach on their first day around town and they didn't even have a strategy.

"It's him." She whispered, and stepped forward half a pace as the line continued to move.

Neji jerked his gaze away from the crowd and stared intently at Sakura trying to get a bearing on where she was looking. He followed her line of sight and found her focal point. He couldn't believe it would be that simple. It was of course an illusion that it was this simple, for the hard part was still ahead. Getting information to take back to the Hokage without getting killed or scaring away the rogue ninja was the tricky part.

Neji tapped the shoulder of the man standing directly in front of him.

"Excuse me, but do you know who that pianist is? He plays so beautifully." He asked with the most convincing smile he could muster.

The heavyset man, slightly balding, turned around and smiled as he replied, "That is the new musician. He got here only two days ago, and he's been a big hit. He draws in the customers like none other and, from what I've heard; the owner of the establishment pays him _very_ well."

Neji nodded as he took in the information.

"Does he have a name?" Neji prodded.

The man shook his head. "No one knows. He won't give his name. So mysterious! It makes it all the more alluring if you ask me. Great ambiance though, is this your first time dining here?"

Neji wrapped his arm around the smiling kunoichi at his side and squeezed her to his side.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, this is our first day in the town. I guess we picked the right place to kick off our honeymoon." He spoke managing a coy smile as he looked down at his mock-wife.

Sakura couldn't agree more with Neji, and she nodded in response to his observation.

"You sure did. I guarantee that when you leave here, you won't want to go anywhere else but back to your room. There's something about this place and that pianist that makes it enchanted. My wife and I have been married for years, and we feel more passionate toward each other than ever. It wasn't until we came to this place two days ago that we realized how much we really loved one another. It's unreal." The man bantered on, his blushing wife nudging him in the side giving him a look that said _don't give information they're not asking. _

Neji was glad she interfered. He really wasn't in the mood to hear about an elderly couple's love life. He looked back up at the entrance, and was glad to be the next couple in line to be ushered in.

The elderly couple waved goodbye and was taken to a table in the back. Neji hoped they would be seated away from them and close to Kabuto at the piano. Sakura shifted nervously at the threshold as a couple exited the doors to her left, knowing that shortly they would be seated next. Neji couldn't take his eyes off of the gray haired and bespectacled ninja sitting at the white grand piano in the center of the seated crowd. He seemed to be completely absorbed in his ministrations to the ebony and ivory keys, striking them with passion and then caressing them with light touches extracting some of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. The notes echoed through the large area and reverberated through Neji's consciousness. It felt unnatural, the peace and the emotional charge in the atmosphere. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he knew he had to be on guard or he would be sucked in. He regarded Sakura, and hoped that she was as wise.

"A table for two is now ready. Please follow me." A woman dressed in an apron and sleek dress slacks and shirt urged them to trail after her.

It took all her strength to move her feet forward and even with Neji's hand pulling her along, she felt her energy steadily being drained from her as she resisted the spell being cast on the area. She was originally a genjutsu user, and even in gennin classes she could sense when an illusionary jutsu was being used. This was the first time that she was caught off guard since her first encounter with Orochimaru; Sasuke's captor, mentor, and Kabuto's master.

She remembered how he let them see their own deaths and experience absolute terror and bone crushing fear. She remembered how Sasuke broke the spell by stabbing his own leg with a kunai to allow the screaming sensation of pain to drown out the voice of fear. She remembered how utterly useless she felt at that time, and now she realized she was much stronger and wiser than that day. She recognized the jutsu now that Kabuto was casting on all the couples. She just couldn't understand the motive. Why here? Why now? Sakura was confused, and her brow furrowed as a result.

"You're frowning." Neji interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh. Sorry. "She smiled to change her countenance and nodded her thanks to the hostess as they took a seat at a booth that was four tables, diagonally, to the left of their target. She felt so ill prepared that she struggled to keep her thoughts and fears from displaying on her face. Try as she may, she couldn't fool Neji, who was observing her now with his new colored eyes.

"I understand how you feel right now, but if we get caught being the only fishes in the bowl belly up, then we get flushed, if you catch my drift." He said this while he coolly examined the one-sided menu in front of him.

Sakura tilted her head slightly, letting some loose tendrils stroke the top of her half-bare shoulder. She couldn't understand how Neji could act so cool, and change his method of operation to boot. He usually refrained from using little similes like that and kept to short, not-so-sweet, and to the point statements.

"Yeah, I got it, just caught me by surprise. I'm on it now, don't worry." She replied tersely through a fabricated smile that was very convincing.

Neji looked up, briefly, from the menu to catch her glare at him. He wasn't sure if he felt passion in her eyes or fiery irritation. Either way, he was impressed with her acting skills. He returned her glare with a wink and a heart melting smile that nearly ripped the rug out from under her feet.

Sakura, although now in control of her emotions, felt the corners of her mouth slightly drop at the sight of Neji across the table from her. He smiled so beautifully that it nearly threw her off her game and it unsettled her a bit. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply—taking in the scent of the restaurant, of her date, and of Kabuto. When she opened them again, Neji was peering intently over her shoulder.

"What is it?" she whispered through a smile.

"That woman at the end," he began, "is acting very strange."

"What is she doing?" she asked.

Neji shifted in his seat and leaned forward. "She keeps glancing at Kabuto, and acting nervous every time her eyes wander over to him. She also keeps shifting in her seat, as though she was uncomfortable, and her date keeps asking if she's ok."

"You can hear him ask?" Sakura asked, surprised. She knew that Neji had uncanny abilities to sense chakra and the slightest changes in people's behavior, but super hearing she didn't know he had.

Neji shook his head slightly. "No, but she responds toward him with a smile and nod and a shrug each time he catches her being so distracted." He sat back in his seat. "Similar to the way you respond when I catch you off guard." He smiled again, and watched Sakura's reaction.

Sakura rolled her eyes, shrugged slightly, and hid behind her menu, but she could feel the heat in her face. She knew what he meant, because every time he had smiled at her, or touched her tenderly, or held her; she had tried to cover her emotions with a smile and a shrug the same way he described. Was she that obvious?

"Mmm…" Neji mumbled, "Exactly the same."

Sakura's eyes darted up to his, and searched for any hint of sarcasm, but there was only a controlled expression on his face, and he was still watching the couple. She looked up to study Kabuto, who had changed songs. It was a lighter, more cheerful melody now. Different than the moody, sensual one he had been playing a moment ago.

She watched as his eyes would glance in the woman-in-question's direction from behind his glasses. She also felt a slight shift in the chakra around her, as whatever genjutsu he was using began to phase into something more. She couldn't quite explain it, but it would seem that this woman had something to do with the change.

"I think he is affecting the woman." Sakura whispered.

Neji nodded slightly in agreement, "For what reason is the question now." He stated through a stiff smile.

Both of them knew that the answer would only come with time and observation. They sat back in their seats simultaneously and waited for the server to come take their order, and waited to see what was actually going on in this little café.

Kabuto played on, seemingly caught up in his song, swaying and bending with each strike of the keys beneath his agile fingers. Sakura kept peeking from over her menu at his hands. She couldn't help but sink into the mesmerizing movement and the dizzying melody, try as she may to fight it. Her heart felt as though it were adjusting its rhythm to match the flow of the notes.

Buh-bum.

Buh-bum.

Buh-bum.

Her breath slowed and her eyes felt heavy. A voice, soft as silk and sweet as bird-song, grew in her mind. It weaved its way in and out of each note calling to something deep within her, and without warning, something primal, something asleep began to stir.

_Sakura…._

A whisper, faint and captivating, resonated in her mind; calling.

_Sakura…_

_Sa….ku….ra….._

"Sakura", Neji spoke just above a whisper. "Hey. Sakura, snap out of it."

She sat motionless. Her eyes stared ahead, glazed and unfocused. She breathed in stuttered sighs and a rose blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Her brow furrowed slightly as her countenance slowly changed from expressionless to agony. No, that wasn't right; it wasn't agony, but ecstasy.

He had seen that look only in his dreams. The only difference was he wasn't the one extracting such an exquisite expression this time, and this wasn't a dream.

"Sakura", Neji slowly reached for one of her hands that still held her menu upright.

She was caught in Kabuto's genjutsu and as he inched closer he wondered why it wasn't affecting him the same way, and he felt a tinge of jealousy.

"Focus", He whispered to himself.

All he had to do was inject some of his chakra into her; the trick was monitoring the amount so as not to pique the interest of the genius at the piano.

Gently, Neji placed his middle and forefinger against the back of her hand. Her hand felt feverish, and it quivered under his touch.

He narrowed his vision, concentrated his chakra at the tips of his fingers and, with one controlled exhalation, released the energy into her system. He felt the energy go from him, confident that the amount was enough to break the spell but not hurt her.

He waited as he searched her face for sentience. He sensed a change in the energy of the room and let go a breath he had not know he was holding as light began to shine from Sakura's eyes once more. However, her face now reflected horror rather than ecstasy. Her eyes became jade saucers and brimmed with water.

"No…." Sakura whispered with a stuttered sigh.

Her hand quivered under Neji's lingering touch and she fought hard to keep the sobs pounding at the door of her throat from escaping.

"Shhh… Sakura, it's fine now, you're ok. Just shhhh…." Neji spoke quietly while squeezing her hand.

Sakura's eyes turned from saucers to slits in a flash. A single salt tear trickled from her maddened eye, and she ripped her hand from his.

"No, it's not 'Shhhh,' _Neji." _ She spat out with a rasped whisper, adding vehemence to the last word.

The restaurant's patrons seemed to stop everything to look at them. Thankfully the music didn't stop, which would've meant they'd garnered the wrong attention.

"Sakura, you're making a scene, calm down and gather your thoughts. You were in a genjutsu of some sort. I thought you were better than this." Neji spat back.

Sakura closed her eyes, and wiped them dry with the back of her hand. Her brow furrowed and through a grimace she spoke almost inaudibly.

"I know damn well what was happening. You don't know how much better I really am because you assume I am weak." She clenched her fists and began to slide out of her seat.

Neji reached for her hand to stop her, "Sakura wai…"

But he was interrupted as she moved her hand away from his attempt, "You shouldn't have stepped into my battle. You shouldn't have interrupted like that." She slid the rest of the way out of her seat, brushed the wrinkles out of her garb as she stood and, after glancing around at the onlookers, gingerly turned toward the exit.

"You looked a little too _pleased. _I don't think you wanted to fight what was happening. You _liked_ what the jutsu was showing you didn't you?" Neji coughed out as she began to step away.

He knew he had said too much when she stiffened. She did not turn around, but instead she trembled and Neji could feel the rage emanating off of her.

"You know, you put the _ass_ in assume." She ground out, and proceeded toward the door. Right as she was about to disappear from his view, she turned her tear soaked face in his direction and mouthed the words—_WATCH KABUTO AND MEET ME IN FIVE MINUTES OUTSIDE, _holding up a hand to demonstrate the 'five'.

_It was an act? She could fool me just like that? _Neji wondered to himself trying to maintain the feeling of the moment and a fabricated sulk in his posture.

Of course he had to maintain the act. Otherwise, Sakura's diva-like performance would go to waste.  
He was thankful that they had spoken to each other low enough that the other patrons couldn't tell what they were _actually_ saying. For all they knew, they thought it was just some lover's tiff.

Neji was also curious to see how Kabuto would react to such a scene.

He frowned as the waitress, who had been waiting next to him with her tablet, cleared her throat.

"Are you still interested in ordering, sir?" She asked, glancing at the exit.

_What would a man in this situation actually do? What should _I_ do? I was never trained in this…._

At that moment a thought, inspired by the legendary Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, flashed across his consciousness.

Neji balled his fist and slammed it on the table, making the waitress flinch with the suddenness.

"Hell. Bring me some Sake. I need to think about how to tame my little fox!" He gritted out, inwardly pleased at his improvisation.

The waitress nodded and quickly headed for the back.

In the mean time, Neji watched Kabuto.

The musician didn't seem fazed at all. His ministrations to the keys and his absorption in his craft seemed oddly intensified.

_Was that a frown on his face? Was that sweat on his brow? Were they just because he is really getting into the music, or was he worried about something?_ Neji wondered.

The waitress appeared abruptly and set his Sake before him and gave a slight bow.

"Is that all you needed, sir?" She asked, still slightly bent forward.

Neji nodded and grabbed his cup and Sake pitcher and poured himself a drink.

He looked intently at the cup he held before his face, realizing that this would be the first time he had actually drunk anything alcoholic. Well, intentionally he never had. However; there was that one time that all that wine had been dumped into that Curry a long time ago.

_Man that was a trip._ He thought to himself. _I still don't know if it was the curry itself or the alcohol that knocked me out. _

"Here goes." He muttered as he dumped the small amount down his throat.

"Are you pleased with it, sir?" The waitress asked.

Neji smiled and poured himself another round. "Indeed. Thank you."

The waitress walked away, and Neji's attention was back to the musician.

Neji, feeling a bit dizzy all of the sudden, noticed Kabuto watching him from the corner of his eye.

As soon as Kabuto realized that Neji had noticed his attention, he looked away suddenly and his frown intensified.

He was definitely upset by the recent passing of events, but why? What is it to him if a couple has a little tiff?

Neji looked around the room and noticed that every table was occupied by a couple who seemed very much in-love.

_Is this the genjutsu, a makeshift _love potion _in the the hands of a sound ninja? If so, then what is the purpose of such a technique? What is he gaining from something like this?_

Neji resigned to knowing that the answers weren't going to just fall in his lap, but he knew that once he and Sakura converged… _Sakura._

_It's been longer than five minutes. Shit!_

Neji reached for his wallet in his pocket, pulled out an overly sufficient amount of money and set it on the table.

He slid out of his seat and, as he stood, the room began to spin. He grabbed the table in order to stabilize himself and carefully made his way to the exit.

As he stepped outside, his face collided with a fist.

"What the hell were you doing in there!" a female voice yelled out.

Neji held his nose with his hands as his eyes began to water from the impact.

"Thakura", he mumbled through his palms.

"I said five minutes! Not a _fucking_ hour!" she screamed with her hands held out by her sides.

Neji shook his head to clear the fog from her punch. His nose still stung but was still intact; he found from feeling for any damages and came up with a positive prognosis.

"You're making another scene, Sakura." He stated calmly.

He still felt dizzy, and couldn't quite tell which of the two images of Sakura to look at when he spoke.

Sakura sniffed the air around Him and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"So that's why you were in there so long. You were getting wasted?" Sakura shook her head as she accused.

"That's not it!" Neji held his hands up in defense. "I only had a couple drinks. What else was I going to do with the situation you left me with? _Huh?_"

He was beginning to feel angry now.

"And what is it with you accusing me of being in there for an hour? That's quite an exaggeration!" He pointed at her with a shaky finger. "I barely went over the time limit you set for me. What the hell?"

Sakura reached for his hand that still pointed at her and firmly grabbed his wrist. She shoved the watch that was set there into his face. "You tell me. Does that look like just over five minutes?"

His eyes slowly trailed down from her face to his wrist. His vision wasn't as clear as it should be, but there was no mistaking that she was right. It had been over an hour since she left the table.

It didn't make any sense. It didn't feel that long at all.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

The genjutsu was a lot more intricate than he had originally thought. Not only was it a love potion, but it was a time-alteration jutsu. It had to be.

Everyone there was lost in the throes of love and infatuation. Of course they weren't going to notice a lapse in time.

He now knew the method, but he was still at a loss when it came to the _motive_.

Sakura stood there with her hands on her hips wearing an I-told-you-so expression.

"Sakura, I think I know what's going on. I just don't know why yet. I think I was cau…." His words cut off as the dizziness he desperately tried to control won the battle.

"Sa…" he tried to speak again and reached for his partner with a final attempt at stabilizing himself.

"Neji, "Sakura called out and caught him as he fell into her arms and darkness flooded his vision.

The last thing Neji could remember was Sakura lugging him over her shoulders and muttering "For the love of God," just before she trod back up the street.

Getting to the hotel was going to be tricky, since she didn't know any normal woman who would carry her guy over her shoulder up a cobblestone road. That's just asking for weird looks. Still, it had to be done. She didn't want to explain her situation over and over again outside of _Aishte No Motto_ every time someone saw her standing over a passed-out Neji.

She only hoped she could get him to the Swan's Nest before too many rumors started. At that thought, she quickened her pace.

"Oooo! You have some explaining to do Neji. I swear I'm going to kick your ass if you don't have a good reason for putting me in this situation!" She ranted under her breath.

Now she only hoped that he didn't wake up until they were safely inside the room. His face was inappropriately just above her derrière and his arms dangled dangerously close to the backs of her thighs. If he woke up in this position, not only would she be embarrassed and (she had to admit) turned on a little, but Neji would leave a trail behind from the massive nose-bleed, and she didn't need that kind of attention from anyone.

Thankfully, she being lost in thought made the time seem to pass quicker. She could see her destination just up the hill and she felt a huge sense of relief. No one had stopped her or bothered her on her way. Luck was on her side, so it seemed; but she knew it was too early to start counting her lucky stars.

**Well there it is. I know it was shorter than the others, but I can't help the writer's block I fought for months. Anyway, hopefully (since some personal matters have smoothed out a bit) I can write more and with less obstructions. Thanks again for all of you guys' patience. **


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